


Murkiest Intentions

by inkncoffee



Category: Jurassic World (2015), Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Annabeth is Park Manager, F/M, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Misunderstandings, Percy is the Raptor Trainer, Slow Build, The Raptor Squad - Freeform, and there's no Owen, kind of, only renamed, the Olympian family is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-05-05 12:51:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 144,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5375915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkncoffee/pseuds/inkncoffee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Isla Nublar, one wrong move could mean certain death. Park manager Annabeth Chase is certain that adding the raptor paddock with their infuriating new trainer, Percy Jackson, is the epitome of this idea. But they find that here in Jurassic World, the secrets that lie in the shadows just might be more dangerous than the dinosaurs themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Annabeth Chase, daughter of the successful business woman Athena Pantheon and the unsuccessful school teacher Fredrick Chase, knew how to be successful in life. She learned early on that dreams were nothing more than wistful fantasies, flightless wishes that only ruined careers and derailed progress. Dreams were for children. It was a hard lesson learned, between the divorce lawyers and the screaming and the midnight stars that twinkled brightly but never granted her tearfully whispered prayers. A lesson furthered by a disapproving mother and a waste basket full of architecture designs. A dream neatly tucked away in the far corner of her mind, because her full ride scholarship to Stanford was for a business degree and not architectural design. Annabeth Chase graduated with full honors on a crisp spring morning and when her mother's employer, the billionaire Zeus Olympian, offered her a job at his amusement park, Jurassic World, she took it without blinking an eye and never looked back.

Annabeth was promoted to operations manager two years after working under Olympian, much to Lightning Incorporation's dismay and her mother's smug pleasure. How could a twenty four year old run a multi-million dollar park? She wasn't sure, but Annabeth Chase never backed down from a challenge. Olympian dismissed the board's concerns and, twelve months later and a year older, Annabeth ran Jurassic World with a level head and an iron fist.

Two new assets had been added in the short time Annabeth worked at the park and a third was on the way. Jurassic World grew at an exponential rate. Their profit, park attendance, and net worth climbed every second under Annabeth's careful eye. Park employees were carefully selected, expertly screened, and meticulously trained before they ever stepped foot on the island. In the secluded privacy of the elevator, Annabeth allowed herself a small smile. She could run a multi-million dollar park just fine.

The elevator gave a soft  _ding_ and Annabeth took a sip of her coffee (two creams one sugar because while caffeine was essential to her continued mental health, she never truly took a liking to its natural flavor). She strode meaningfully forward, out of the safety and seclusion of the quiet elevator and into the chaos in which she thrived.

"Ms. Chase, the temperature is seventy one degrees and expected to climb – "

"Attendance is at thirteen thousand two hundred – "

"A gallimimus collapsed this morning. A medical tent has been erected around it and a vet is scheduled to check her out later this – "

"Maintenance projects the addition to the dimorphodon cage should be finished by the end of next month – "

"Seventy-one, good that means we should have less heat strokes. Attendance steady with projections, get that vet out to see the gallimimus as soon as possible. I don't want guests to see the medical tent for too long, get her out there right now. And tell Beckendorf I want that addition finished by the middle of next month and no later." Annabeth addressed, sending her employees scampering away.

"Annabeth."

Silena Beauregard walked up to her friend, smiling. Annabeth nodded at the petite, beautiful woman. Silena, who usually worked with the apatosaurus herd, was temporarily filling in as Annabeth's right hand woman as her real assistant (well 'secretary' was the official title but Annabeth refused to use it on principle and out of the desire to keep her face in its current arrangement thank you very much) Thalia was busy back in the States due to personal problems. Personal problems, of course, meaning her father. Thalia Grace, the proudly illegitimate child of Zeus Olympian himself, was unhappily drawn into the drama that was the Olympian family. Annabeth did not envy her a bit. The Olympian family was an absolute mess and Annabeth would rather brave an electric malfunction during peak season then deal with their problems.

Silena wasn't a bad temporary assistant, although she lacked Thalia's  _special_ air, so really Annabeth had nothing to complain about.

"Mr. Olympian would like to speak with you." Silena told Annabeth, breaking her out of her musings.

"Is he here?" Annabeth asked in mild alarm. Olympian never gave her any warning when he showed up. The only notice she ever got was the few precious minutes between when his private jet asked for permission to land and the actual landing. It was a constant source of stress for her.  _Breathe,_ she chided herself.  _Everything's fine. The park is running smoothly._

"Video chat, already set up in your office."

_Thank God._

"Alright, thank you Silena." Annabeth said, tipping her coffee at the woman as she headed back to her office. After a quick peek in the control room (temperature really was seventy one and attendance climbing) she ducked inside the sparsely decorated office behind the hard wooden door with her name printed on it in bold golden letters.

"Mr. Olympian," she greeted as she sat down at her desk, turning her computer monitor so she could properly look at her boss.

Zeus Olympian was rather ordinary in appearance for a billionaire. He was a handsome man around the same age as Annabeth's own father. His black hair grayed around the edges, yet the salt and pepper look actually added to his appearance. Sharp electric eyes gazed out of his rather stern face, which was all sharp lines and edges. His very being seemed to radiate power; Annabeth had seen his smile win over many parties and his frown condemn even more.

"Ms. Chase," he greeted in his usual low, rumbling tone. "How is my park?"

It was the usual greeting, giving with its usual halfhearted concern. Olympian bought the park when she still attended high school, in a vicious bidding war between Lightning Inc. and his competitor T-Core. To this day, Annabeth still doubted Olympian actually wanted the park, or all the work that went into owning it. But pride got the better of most men and here they were. Annabeth took a sip of her coffee before responding.

"Growing. Attendance is up, revenue steadily increasing, the stock market is projected to – "

"Wonderful," Zeus interrupted, as she knew he would. "Send me a complete write up later."

Annabeth dutifully nodding, knowing full well the write up would never actually fall on Olympian's lap but land instead to one of his many accountants. Her mother, perhaps.

"I called to talk about our newest assets."

"Sir, again, I must advice against – " Annabeth stared, tapping nervously against her coffee cup. Zeus held up a hand and she obligingly bit her tongue.

"I know your feelings on the matter Ms. Chase, you've made them quite clear and vocal. Several times in fact." He paused to frown at her, "were all those memos really necessary?"

"Did you read any of them sir?" Annabeth could not help biting back.

Something close to petulance crossed the billionaire's face. "Yes," he lied.

Annabeth rose an eyebrow but wisely said nothing.

Zeus sighed and rubbed his temple. "Look Ms. Chase. I understand your concern. I honestly do, alright? We go through this every time we add another carnivore. Trust me, this asset was in the works back when you were still eating ramen noodles and cramming for finals alright? I have the best contractors in the world, the highest rated safety inspectors and emergency protocol services working for our case. Years of research and deliberation has gone into this project."

"I know, sir." Annabeth grumbled. And she did. She had meticulously read every single scrap of paper in this assets' file, double and triple checking for errors, inconsistencies, red flags of any kind. She had yet to find one, aside from the unsettled feeling in her gut and that terrible name on the top of file.

"This is going to happen, Ms. Chase," Zeus warned. "The DNA has already been synthesized and the eggs created. Millions of dollars have gone into these assets. I will not terminate it."

"Yes sir."

"Good," Zeus leaned back in his chair, his body language a clear sign that this meeting was coming to a close. "I have already located a suitable trainer for the assets. Negotiations are still ongoing but he should arrive by the end of the week. I know you'll make him feel welcomed."

"What are his qualifications?" Annabeth asked immediately, suspicious in an instant. She hated when Zeus went over her head and hired people directly. It never ended well. He never gave them the scrutiny she did and she loathed every employee he brought on. There was not a one that did their job properly (according to  _your_ standards, Thalia once said as if there were any other's to meet).

"Welcomed, Ms. Chase, make him feel welcomed," Zeus avoided. "You will get a full file on him later. Keep me posted."

Before Annabeth could protest, the screen went black and Zeus Olympian disappeared. Annabeth sat at her desk, fuming silently. As if a new asset were not bad enough, but she didn't even get to personally pick their handler. Annabeth opened her desk angrily and pulled out a file she had been carefully working on for the past three months, a narrow list of three people she deemed fit for the position. She angrily glared at it. Zeus did not chose one of them, despite the fact that she emailed the list to him multiple times. He would have given her a name if he had. Feeling vindictive and irritated, she shot a text off to Thalia.

_New asset's trainer, can I at least get a name?_

She tucked the phone away and pulled out the file on the new asset. Her stomach twisted just looking at it. She opened the worn folder and stared down at the name written across the top. She traced the letters with her finger, scowling. A picture of the asset, digitally created from the limited data paleontology provided, stared at her: a bipedal, feathered carnivore with a long tail and sickle shaped claws. Thought to be capable of quick burst of speed, not unlike a cheetah. A pack animal with problem solving intelligence.

The velociraptor.

Despite herself, Annabeth shivered. She quickly tucked the file away, back in her desk under the piles of paperwork and memos.  _This is a bad idea,_ she thought, for the hundredth time since Olympian first brought her on the project. Her phone buzzed; Thalia had texted back.

_How should I know?_

Annabeth scowled. While anybody else might buy Thalia's 'I'm just a rebellious headstrong punk why should I care what my father does' act, Annabeth knew better. So she shot back an angry:

_I need to know Thalia. It's important._

Annabeth could practically hear Thalia sigh and roll her eyes as she read the message that came through not a minute later:

_Percy Jackson._

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth repeated. She racked her brain, trying to find at least a sliver of recognition at the name. She mentally ran through a list of possible suspects, every paleontologist, professor, researcher, hell even veterinarian of prehistorical or genetic importance she could think of. She came up blank. She had never heard of a Percy Jackson.

"Annabeth?" Silena peeked her head in, looking concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"No," Annabeth replied honestly. "I think we're in big trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So let me great this straight... You want me to train velociraptors, some super dangerous ancient predator that just might be the smartest animal to ever live? Me, the marine biologist who has absolutely no knowledge of said super dangerous ancient predators."
> 
> "Yes."

There was no place Percy Jackson would rather be then in the ocean. Not just at the beach (although he did enjoy going to the beach) or cruising on a boat (again, also enjoyable) but physically submerged beneath the ocean's waves. There was a certain serenity and joy that came with being totally surrounded by water; to be hundreds of feet below the surface, totally removed from the earth and the sky above; to have the constant pressure of the water pressing about his body, bubbles idly floating up towards the world while he sank deeper below.

The ocean was beautiful. The coral reefs were notorious for their breath taking beauty, with all the colorful and exotic coral sprouting up from the snow white sand while schools of fish darted through their colorful home, so alien and different from the creatures that dwelled on the land above. Sharks, dolphins, crabs and octopi all coexisting, swimming and living and breathing in their small but teeming home.

But there was something equally beautiful about the open ocean. About being in the middle of that giant blue expanse with nothing but pure unhindered  _ocean_ _._ No bustle, no rush, hardly a fish in sight. If there was peace on earth, Percy was sure he found it in those moments.

Such were his thoughts as he got ready for his morning dive.

"All set?" Grover Underwood, Greenpeace activist, environmental conservationist, and Percy's best friend of near fourteen years asked.

"All set," Percy confirmed, turning to face his friend.

Grover stood a few inches shorter than Percy, with curly brown hair and scruff around his chin as if he could not decide whether he wanted to grow a goatee or not. There was something wrong with his legs, a degenerate muscular disorder that could sometimes get so severe the poor guy needed to use crutches. He had these wide, earnest brown eyes and a nervous habit of chewing his fingernails. They met at Yankee Academy in the sixth grade and were inseparable ever since. When the pair had graduated from college and Percy got a job with Oceanus' Quest, Grover wasn't far behind.

Oceanus' Quest was a new and upcoming oceanic conservational organization that employed fresh new minds with a passion for the ocean and preserving its precious resources. Sure, Oceanus' Quest's tactics were a little more…radical and dramatic than other organizations, but Percy loved it. He really felt like he was making a difference, he got to spend entire weeks out at sea, and he loved every minute of it. (Tossing and turning in the cramp and damp sleeping corridors of the ship late at night Percy was honest enough to admit, at least to himself, that the danger of the job was what first caught his attention).

"Just ah, make it quick okay Perce?" Grover requested nervously, gnawing on the raw tip of his finger as he anxiously checked his smartphone, "There's a storm coming in and we really shouldn't get caught out in it."

"It's just a tropical storm," Percy dismissed, fixing his pressure value and opening the diving gate at the stern of their research boat.

Grover sometimes made this weird noise when he was nervous, somewhere between a moan and a laugh that ended up sounding not unlike a goat's bleating. He made such a noise now. "Ba- ah, Perce, it's been upgraded to a category one hurricane."

Percy looked over his shoulder at his nervous friend. Grover was great, really he was, and Percy loved the guy like a brother. He was dedicated to Oceanus' Quest's cause, sometimes Percy thought the guy was even more radical and 'down with the man' than Percy himself was, but he was also a worrier. Grover made an obvious effort to stop chewing on his fingernails and tucked his phone away with an air of nonchalance, as if he was not worried one bit about the storm's new classification.

Percy gave his friend a kind, if not slightly lopsided grin. He appreciated Grover's bravo on his behalf.

"Don't worry G-man," Percy told him kindly, "we'll be safely on shore and eating at that gross tofu place you love before the storm ever hits."

Grover visibly relaxed.

"Thank God," he said as Percy pulled his diving mask on.

"But you're buying," Percy quipped before slipping his respirator into his mouth and letting himself fall into the warm ocean below. The water cushioned his fall, bubbles obscuring his vision momentarily as his sudden entrance displaced water and air pockets alike. He let the water pull him down, content to simply enjoy the feel of the sea if at least for a moment.

Then his ADHD kicked in and he had to start moving. He flipped around, startling some nearby guppies that darted off in terror, and made a beeline for the bait trap below. Oceanus' Quest covered a wide range of conservation efforts, but Percy's special little niche was with sharks. And not just the cute little sharks like the nurse or cookie cutter shark, but the big guys. The aggressive guys. The so called  _man-eaters:_

Tiger. Bull. Black-tip. Great White.

Percy grinned, even though there was not a soul around to see it and continued to make his way down the ocean floor. Earlier that morning, Grover and him had dropped bait lures over the cove and now it was time for investigation. The other stuff, like tagging and tracking and blood samples, would be done later but a physical investigation was always advisable before any of the more scientifically data was collected. (And then the  _really_ boring stuff would kick in; like collecting soil samples and taking water temperature and other boring data that his lab friends kept reminding him were important to monitor for the continued health of his sharks).

So he was determined to enjoy today before the boring stuff kicked in. This was his element, the thing he was best at. The CEO and co-starter of Oceanus' Quest, Oceanus himself (Percy was positive that was not the guy's real name, but hey it sounded impressive so why not) dubbed Percy the 'Shark Whisperer'. Percy had dived with every type of shark in the entire ocean, including the gigantic Great White. Percy just understood the creatures, he could swim beside them and tell when they were sick or injured. He attached live image camera onto the backs of aggressive tiger sharks and experimented with the sensitive nerve endings at the tip of a bull shark's snout. He swam side by side in the open ocean with Great Whites.

Oceanus praised his work to the heavens. He declared that they learned substantially more with Percy's hands on approach in the field than they ever could from the safety of a ship or cage. Percy was not so sure about that. Some of the other marine biologist he met, the ones who dual majored in impressive additional avenues such as chemistry or molecular biology, made outstanding and world breaking discovers from the safety of a ship or in their labs. He thought they deserved the praise more than he ever did. He just liked swimming next to the great giants.

With a shrug, Percy shook himself from his melancholy thoughts and threaded himself into the throng of sharks that lazily swam above the bait lure. As he descended, he gazed at the majestic creatures that swam around him, their strong bodies slicing expertly through the water. Dark stripes adored their sleek bodies: tiger sharks.

Nibbling at the exposed fish in the bait lure below was an exceptionally large and swollen tiger shark. A pink tag fluttered at the tip of her slightly crooked dorsal fin. Percy would recognize her anywhere. This was Hera, or so he dubbed her (he had no idea what the scientists back at the lab called her, probably just a series of numbers and letters which was depressing). She reminded him of his dear aunt: temperamental and vicious with a fierce desire to tear into her enemies and draw blood. Actually, that was unfair. Shark-Hera was just trying to survive here in the hostile ocean, besides she was nowhere near as nasty as his Aunt Hera.

"Hiya girl," Percy gargled sweetly as he hovered above Shark-Hera.

He may take more liberties than other divers, but Percy was no fool; one did  _not_ get between a hungry shark and their meal. Hera was pregnant, evident in her increasingly hostile behavior and swollen stomach. She needed all the nutrients she could get. Percy let her be, examining the other sharks around him instead. Quite a few of them were juveniles, not yet ready to mate, but some were fully mature adults. Percy let his hand trail on the sleek back of one of the smaller ones as it darted beneath him.

The contact did not faze the shark and it continued on its way. Percy continued to weave through the throng of sharks. Tiger sharks were typically solitary creatures. They only gather together for mating, and mating season was rapidly coming to a close. Already, there were less sharks hanging around than earlier this week. Group migration was not really a thing for these guys. That was more of a hammerhead thing, and boy did those shark travel in pods. Hammerhead pods could number in the  _thousands._ It was a truly awe inspiring and breath taking experience. Percy was thoroughly humbled by the great hammerhead migration.

There was a little buzz in his ear that told Percy his camera was running out of film. The camera was Oceanus' idea. He mandated that Percy wore one every time he dived, to thoroughly document all his interactions with the sharks for further investigation. Percy had a sneaking suspicion, however, that Oceanus used the material mainly for publicity instead. Percy had seen himself, and the recording of his dives, aired on the television more than once.

With a sigh, Percy turned his eyes towards the surface. As he began his ascent, Hera crossed before him. Percy fondly watched her lazily float by. He could not understand how anyone could hate these creatures. Fear them, sure, but they were wild animals not some malicious blood thirsty monster. They were just trying to survive, and they happened to have awesome jaws and hundreds of razor sharp teeth to help them. Percy affectionately ran a hand along Hera's dorsal fin, laying himself parallel so he could swim alongside the majestic fish, keeping one hand on her back the entire time. Hera led him towards the boat, her body swaying lightly with the current.

When they were directly over the boat, Percy leaned forward and placed a kiss right between her eyes. Hera twitched, a violent tremor that shook her entire body and Percy quick desisted, letting go of the shark and holding his arms up in surrender (as if she knew what that meant). But Hera was sated and obviously did not really think of him as a threat. She kept swimming when it became obvious he had released her.

"Love you too," he called after her as she disappeared into the blue expanse. Chuckling, Percy swept his arms in one great motion and broke the surface a moment later.

"How far away is the storm?" Percy called as he hauled himself up on deck. He started to detach his video camera when he realized Grover had not responded.

Percy curiously looked up, "What's up G-man?"

"Uh," Grover said. He sat in the middle of the deck, data papers spewed around him and a computer balanced precariously on his lap.

"Like, ah, not far," Grover eloquently replied, tugging at his short curly hair as his eyes skittishly ran over Percy.

"What?" Percy asked with a frown, suspicious at once. Grover usually was not this nervous (the storm none withstanding). That usually meant one thing.

"Did he call again?" Percy demanded angrily, crossing his arms.

"What - ?" Grover's brow furrowed then cleared as he realized what Percy meant. "No, no your dad didn't call. It was ah, someone else."

"Who?" Percy asked, thoroughly confused now.

"Ah, your Uncle Zeus?"

" _Uncle Zeus?"_ Percy repeated in disbelief. He couldn't remember the last time he talked with his father's youngest brother (it was probably that last time Thalia threw a fit and declared she was moving out for good – Percy had picked her up then). His vintage darkened as he shucked off the rest of his dive gear, "Dad probably put him up to it."

"He, ah, didn't mention your dad," Grover said. "But he did say he had a job offer for you."

"A what?" Percy's brow furrowed in confusion. Grover gave a little shrug, obviously as lost as Percy. Well, at least he wasn't the only one. "Whatever. I'll call Thalia later."

"He did mentioned something about sending a constituent over to speak with you?" Grover hesitantly put forth as he scramble to his feet.

"Great, just what I needed." Percy grumbled. The wind picked up, spewing Grover's papers all over the boat and the pair raced to collect them before the ocean could claim them.

"Storm's getting closer," Percy hollered. "We better get back to shore."

Grover merely nodded. They did not speak for the rest of the journey. Percy secured their equipment as Grover neatly tucked his computer and paperwork away, then they were heading towards the shore. Percy squinted into the distance, noticing the gathering storm clouds and the restless waves. The ocean angrily surged beneath them, a grim reminder of how long they tarried. Still, they managed to dock before the storm hit.

"See, just as I promised!" Percy told Grover with a grin. The wind really picked up, whipping their hair and clothes violently about as the temperature dropped.

"Yeah, just in time," Grover yelped as the heavens opened up and pelted them with hard, unforgiving rain.

Percy laughed, throwing his head back to enjoy the on slaughter against his face. It poured and in a manner of seconds the men were both soaked to the bone. Grover grabbed Percy by the arm and made a beeline for the shops that lined the beach. Percy was still laughing as his friend pulled him inside one of the local restaurants.

"Aw, come on G-man it's just a little rain," he teased, grinning as he rung out his soaked shirt. Grover grunted, unhappily emptying his shoes of the offensive water.

"That looks like more than a little rain," a soft voice called and Grover's head shot up.

Juniper Meliai gave a gentle lovely laugh that sounded like a summer's breeze as Grover's face turned tomato red.

"Hey Jun," Percy greeted, reaching out to hug the petite waitress who his friend had the hugest crush on.

Juniper politely stepped out of his reach, still laughing her gentle laugh. "Lovely to see you gentlemen as well, but I think I'll save my hug for when you're a little less waterlogged."

"Right," Percy said sheepishly as she led them to a table in the back.

He slide into the seat with a gross squish. He made a face at Grover, who clearly was suffering from the same discomfort. His friend nervously picked up a menu, worrying away at the corners of the green menu.

"Oh please, like you don't already know what you want," Percy scoffed, but he took pity on his friend's plight. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"It's not that easy!" Grover all but yelped, hiding his red face behind the menu. The red and green made a rather Christmas-esque look, Percy mused. "And I'm not about to take dating advice from you!"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Percy conceded gravely, nodding as he glanced down at his menu. He had the stupid thing memorized, God knows Grover and him visited it often enough, but he always hoped they would add something more his taste to the menu.

"Your usual boys?" Juniper asked, setting a cherry coke before Percy and a diet for Grover.

"Yeah I guess," Percy said with a longsuffering sigh. The things he did for his friend.

"Y-yeah," Grover repeated. Juniper gave him a winning smile and Grover choked on his drink.

"Hang in there buddy," Percy said sympathetically as Grover sputtered.

He leaned back in his chair, discreetly kicking his shoes off under the table. He was glad he only wore sandals, Grover's reinforced tennis shoes (to help with his limp) had to be super gross right now. Their wait shouldn't be too long, but he was getting comfortable while he could.

"What do you think – " he started to ask, when the restaurant door opened and the storm blew inside.

Waiters scrambled to shut the door and usher the new customers inside. Or, customer. A man in a wheelchair apologized to the hostess, bowing his head politely and smiling just right. Percy's first thought was  _this guy must be a teacher._ He just had that look about him. He wore a tweed jacket (like seriously, who wore tweed jackets anymore other than teachers?) and faded dress pants. The rain had plastered thinning brown hair to his forehead and when he turned he locked eyes with Percy, who immediately looked away. Staring was rude, but sometimes he just could not help it. Percy's ADHD often diverted his attention and he found himself staring at strangers, trying to figure out their life stories by the stains on their jackets or the color of their hair dye. He was not trying to be rude, it was just something he did to occupy himself.

His fingers drummed restlessly on the table. He took a drink of his coke just to do something with his hands, determined not to look back at the man. He could hear the man's wheelchair squeak across the floor (wet rubber Percy's mind helpfully supplied).

"Hello, Perseus Jackson."

As one, Grover and Percy turned to gape at the stranger as he rolled right on up to their table. He smiled calmly at the pair, his eyes twinkling like Percy's old hateful English teacher used to before he sprang pop quizzes at the worst moments. It set Percy on edge right away; he eyed the stranger in suspicion.

"Um sorry?" Percy asked, "I don't – "

"Know me," the man finished, which was rude. Percy scowled but the man continued, motioning to Juniper for a menu. "Yes I know. My name is Chiron Brunner, you may call me Chiron. I work for your uncle, Zeus Olympian."

Percy groaned, running a hand through his soaking wet hair. "Right, look Mr. Brunner – "

"Chiron please – "

"I don't know what deal my uncle made with my father, but I'm not interested okay?"

"I don't know anything about your father," Chiron said simply, although something told Percy he was lying. Chiron flicked through the menu, seemingly unaffected by Percy's scrutiny. "Your uncle has a need for your special talent for his most recent investment."

"He invested in ocean conservation?" Percy asked, baffled. That did not sound like Zeus at all.

Chiron gave a low chuckle, peering up at Percy with that damn sparkle still in his eye, "No. I was referring to the amusement park he recently acquired – Jurassic World."

Grover paled; Percy frowned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he bought that. But what's that got to do with me?" He asked, still not understanding. He glanced sideways at Grover, who once again was nervously chewing on his abused fingertips.

"I thought I made that clear," Chiron said, and Percy was really beginning to hate that sparkle in his eye. "Your uncle wishes to offer you a job, working at Jurassic World."

Grover made a choking sound.

"What would I do at a dinosaur park?" Percy asked, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation, "I'm a marine biologist not a dinosaur doctor."

"Paleontologist I believe is the word you're looking for."

"Whatever," Percy waved his hand, "I barely passed my classes for marine biology, I'm not going back for a dinosaur degree so my uncle is wasting his breath. Whatever little scheme him and my dad cooked up can just – "

"I think you misunderstand. Once again, I haven't had contact with your father. Neither, at least to my knowledge, has your uncle. And Mr. Olympian does not want you to get a paleontology degree or anything of the sort. No, he wants you due to your unique area of expertise."

"Sharks," Percy said slowly. "My area of expertise is sharks. Unless he's bringing back the megalodon – which by the way totally not a dinosaur – I don't see why it concerns me." He paused, frowning. "He hasn't synthesized a megalodon has he?"

"No, we already have one aquatic carnivore, we do not need another," Chiron dismissed with a chuckle. "Lightning Incorporation is drawn to your ability to work with the sharks, not your research with sharks themselves. Your willingness to dive and swim side by side with some of the world's deadliest creatures in their nature habitat, which is totally removed from our own. One of which, the Great White Shark, is almost twice your size! Your courage and bond with these creatures is remarkable. Nobody else, in the entire world, has come in as close contact with these fearsome predators as you have. And you meet them in their territory, and survive."

"Yeah well," Percy said, unaccustomed to the praise. He rubbed his arm self-consciously. "It's all about respect."

"Exactly," Chiron agreed, nodding. "What do you know about velociraptors?"

Percy blinked at him, glancing over at Grover. His best friend simply drained his diet coke, looking anywhere but at Chiron.

"They're, ah, dinosaurs?" Percy's brow furrowed, "I don't know, bird-like things? Supposed to be like totally dangerous?" At Chiron's sigh he scowled and crossed his arms. "Oh shut up, I'm a marine biologist, not a damn paleontologist. I have better things to worry about."

"A velociraptor is a deadly apex predatory," Chiron patiently explained, "thought to be even more intelligent than the modern ape. Mostly reptilian with close avian ancestor. Pack hunters, complete with complex pack structures. The alpha is the leader, the head of the pack. They call the shots. They lead hunts and protect the pack."

"Right," Percy said as Juniper appeared with a new glass for Grover, more than slightly irritated and wishing Chiron would just jump to the point. "That's nice, thanks for the unwanted paleontology lesson."

Chiron folded his hands delicately, leaning forward and somehow Percy just  _knew_ his next words were going to turn his world upside down. He held his breath as Chiron calmly asked:

"How would you like to become the alpha of your very own velociraptor pack?"

Grover spewed his coke across the table.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Percy said, several hours later. Chiron ended up joining them for dinner and they loitered long after their plates were clean (Percy had not even complained about his tofu he was so distracted), talking over his uncle's offer.

"You want me to train velociraptors, some super dangerous ancient predator that just might be the smartest animal to ever live? Me, the marine biologist who has absolutely no knowledge of said super dangerous ancient predators."

"Yes."

Chiron chuckled at his dumbfounded expression. "I'm not asking you to study them. We have scientists, real paleontologists for that. We just need someone to train them, a middle man if you will. Our scientists are not exactly the, ah, field work type."

Percy snickered; he knew marine biologists like that.

"We just need you to follow the paleontologists' orders. They'll plan out your entire day, give you a four week crash course on velociraptors and be there every step of the way. You won't be a paleontologist, just a handler. We need someone who isn't afraid to work with the raptors, up close and personal while they are young to insert himself into the pack dynamic. To become the alpha."

"You want me to train a pack of velociraptors," Percy repeated in disbelief, still not believing his ears. "Do you even hear yourself? Do you realize how crazy that is? That's like trying to train a Great White or – or a  _lion_. They're dangerous wild animals. They might follow you for a while, but that doesn't mean they're  _trained_."

"Yes, but we are not talking about sharks or lions," Chiron said patiently. "We are talking about velociraptors. Highly intelligent social animals. Apes have proven that, with higher intelligence, training is possible."

"Yeah, until the ape tears your face off," Percy scoffed. His eyes widened and he pointed a finger at Chiron, "and a velociraptor can do  _hell_ of a lot more damage than an ape."

Chiron nodded, not disputing a single thing he said, much to Percy's frustration. "Very true. Which is why we need somebody like you. Somebody who respects predators and does not seek to control them but rather learn from them, through respect and observation."

"You're crazy," Percy decided. "That's suicide."

Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair, smiling thinly at Percy. "Perhaps. But do not discount it in this moment. Go home, sleep on it, and think it over for a week. Then give me a call."

He slid a business card over to Percy, waving at Juniper for his check.

"I can barely read this," Percy grumbled as Grover and he left the restaurant. Chiron left after settling his check, and after a few minutes, Grover and Percy followed. Now, Percy squinted at the business card Chiron left him. The letters on the card were absolutely miniscule and scrawled in some demonic font (worse than cursive, Percy thought crossly).

"I don't know how the hell he expects me to read this?"

"They want to train velociraptors," Grover muttered, his eyes wide.

"Crazy right?" Percy said, giving up trying to decipher the card and shoving it into his pocket. His pants were dry by now, but their impromptu bath left them stiff and gross. Percy could not wait to get home and change. It had been a long day.

"We must be in the eye of the storm," Percy noticed idly, glancing out over the ocean as they walked away. The ocean was deceptively still, innocently blue and gray without a ripple in sight.

"So we need to hurry and get inside before the rain starts again." Grover pressed, and Percy let his friend grab him by the arm and drag him along the sidewalk.

"So, ah," Grover said after they turned the corner and the ocean disappeared from sight. "Velociraptors?"

"Yeah," Percy said. They looked at each and then burst into laughter.

"That's crazy," Percy snickered, "I have no idea what my uncle is thinking."

"It's suicide!" Grover exclaimed, almost hysterical laughter bubbling out of his chest. He sobered up, examining Percy with a seriousness they usually strove to avoid. "You're not taking it are you Perce?'

"No," Percy scoffed, "it's way too dangerous."

"You like dangerous," Grover said, steadily meeting Percy's eyes. He shifted awkwardly, his face twisting. "And I know you Perce. You'll think about it, even if you say no now. Just, just be careful okay? These aren't like our sharks. And our sharks have taken bites out of you before."

Percy grimaced at the reminder.

"Just image what a velociraptor could do," Grover solemnly said.

"I know G-man," Percy said with a sigh. He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I'll probably think about it, but don't worry. I'm not that crazy."

Grover snorted and Percy punched his shoulder.

"Yeah whatever," Grover said, grinning. "Goodnight Perce."

"See you in the morning," Percy called after his friend as he limped over to his apartment door.

Percy's apartment was up a flight of stairs, which he took two at a time until he stood outside his dingy little apartment. He hummed to himself, a tuneless cheerful jingle as he dug out his key. The shrill tone of his phone cut off his humming and he cursed to himself as he swung the door open with one hand, answering the phone with the other.

"Hello?" He answered, flipping his phone open and holding it up to his ear. (Yes, he had a flip phone, but lay off. He lived on a meager biologists' salary and had a mountain of debt left over from college okay?)

"Percy."

Percy swore, cursing himself for not checking the caller ID before answering. Too late now. He rubbed his forehead and swung his apartment door shut, giving a weary, "Hello Dad."

There was a pregnant pause and then his father, with an air of forced lightness and warmth that set Percy's teeth on edge, asked, "How was work? You got to shore before the storm hit right?"

"Fine. Yes." He said shortly, then added a scornful, "I'm not five."

"No, that you are not," Poseidon Olympian agreed, his voice weary and forlorn. Percy did not have time for this.

"What do you want Dad? I've had a long day and I want to go to sleep," Percy asked shortly. He sat down on his bed with a grunt, sprawling across the sheets and not even caring that he still wore his dirty clothes.

"Can't I just call to talk with my son?" Poseidon asked in that same weary voice.

"I don't know, could you?" Percy shot back, digging up the age old argument. He knew, even without being in the same room with as the man, that this made Poseidon flinch. It always did.

"I heard your uncle offered you a job at that damn park of his," Poseidon said, obviously cutting to the point of this conversation.

"Yeah, why?" Percy asked, rolling out of bed to slink over to his closet. He eyed his overflowing laundry basket regretfully. He would do laundry tomorrow, sleep now, he decided, knowing full well the laundry would not get done in the morning.

"Don't take it."

"What?" Percy paused.

"Don't take it," his father repeated firmly.

Percy let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Oh, why not? Because  _you_ told me not to? You have no claim to me, you made that clear when you left mom. You can't tell me what to do or how to live my life, you gave up that right."

"Perseus," his father sternly said, "you will not take this job."

"Oh I won't?" Percy repeated, outraged. "Well, you're a little too late  _Dad._ I've already said yes."

Percy did not wait to hear his father's reply. He snapped the phone shut with an angry snap and threw the offensive device at his bed so violently it bounced off and crashed against the floor. Percy winced, regretting his temper as he gingerly picked the phone up. He brushed dust off the silver back and opened it. The screen was cracked, a jagged cut across the center of the blue menu, but it still worked.

Thank God. He could not afford a new phone.

As he gently cleared off the screen of his phone, ignoring the flashing green light that told him Poseidon obviously did not understand Percy was through talking and was trying to call back, he sat down on his bed and pulled out his computer. A quick Google search later (because he could  _not_ read that damn business card no matter how hard he tried) he gleamed Chiron's number and dialed it before he could think twice.

"Chiron? Yes, this is Percy Jackson. I accept your offer – but I have a few requests."

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth meets the infamous Percy Jackson.

"Calm down," were the first words out of Silena's mouth when she walked into Annabeth's office Monday morning, a crisp white folding tucked under one arm and a steaming cup of coffee in the other. She primly put the coffee before her boss and gave her a winning smile. "It's going to be okay."

"No, I won't calm down. It is _not_ okay," Annabeth grumbled, but the panicked bite had left her voice three days ago. She gratefully took a sip of the coffee, not even caring that it scalded her throat on its way down. She needed caffeine, and she needed it now.

"You don't know that," Silena cheerfully told her, placing the white folder before her now that Annabeth had caffeine running through her system. Annabeth appreciated her sense of importance. She reached for the folder and opened it, taking another sip of coffee.

"It's the highest probable outcome," Annabeth said wearily, her heart just not in the argument this morning.

The mysterious Percy Jackson was supposed to arrive in an hour, along with a personal assistant he brought onto the project. As if _one_ employee unpicked by Annabeth was not enough, she now had two. Both working with velociraptors of all creatures. She rubbed her head. Her anger and panic had dulled with each passing day since her conversation with Zeus Olympian. After all, facts were facts and once you established that they could not be changed, you simply had to switch directions and deal with the aftermath of them. Now Annabeth's job would be a lot easier if someone would just tell her _who the hell Percy Jackson was._

"Maybe he likes his privacy," Silena suggested.

"And maybe I'm supposed to trust him with the world's most dangerous predators and that should supersede any selfish bid for privacy," Annabeth darkly muttered, taking another sip of her coffee. "When are the eggs due to hatch?"

"Soon, the hatching is predicted to take place in three to four weeks," Silena pointed a perfectly manicured and brightly pink nail at the folder in front of Annabeth.

"Great," Annabeth sighed. "I've got three to four weeks to iron this mess out into something semi-workable."

"You'll figure something out," Silena said confidently, "you always do."

Her confidence was heartening; Annabeth only wished she shared it. She neatly tucked the folder away in her desk drawer and took a deep breath. She could handle this. She was Annabeth Chase. When she opened her eyes, Silena had left. Annabeth tried not to be too disappointed. It was times like these she wished Thalia was back. Her best friend would be giving Annabeth the third degree by now, ranting and raving as she practically dragged Annabeth down to chastise her father and meet their new trainer. The thought brought a grin to Annabeth's face. Well, Thalia was not here but that did not mean Annabeth couldn't do just that.

She ran her fingers through her hair and primly stood up, holding her coffee close.

"Connor," she called as she strode from her office. Conner Stoll jumped at her loud call and quickly put on his most innocent expression. Annabeth was not fooled, but she had more pressing matters to worry about than his latest prank. "I am going out to meet the new trainer. I should be back in a few hours. Notify me if anything changes."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted with an almost mocking grin as she stepped into the glass elevator.

"And if I catch you messing with Katie's personal effects again I'll have you moved to janitor duties," she added, taking great satisfaction in his look of horror before the door closed. She smiled; she had this.

Zeus liked to fly his new trainers in by helicopter. He loved to flaunt his money and remind them just who they were working for (the smug asshole). But Percy Jackson was coming by boat. Another anomaly in this strange and terrible event but Annabeth took it all in stride. Although, she did wonder what deal Jackson and Olympian had that made the CEO give up his most honored tradition.

She could see the tip of a sleek boat off the shore as she made her way down to the dock. The ferries that brought guest docked on the other side of the island, so she knew this had to be the much awaited Percy Jackson. She took a deep breath, drinking her coffee just so she had something to do with her hands. As the boat neared, she could hear laughter and make out three figures onboard. One sat down, no he was in a wheelchair (Chiron perhaps, Annabeth would not have been surprised if Zeus sent the man out to negotiate with Mr. Jackson), and two walking on deck. One of them towered over the other, who seemed to slouch and limp.

She took another drink of coffee.

Finally, the boat made it to shore and she tried not to tap her foot nervously as the occupancies darted around to secure it. The man on the wheelchair swiveled around to smile at her and she felt herself relax; it was, in fact, Chiron.

"At least he brought on somebody I trust," she sighed as her old mentor laughed.

"Don't worry my dear," he told her affectionately as his companions set up the wheelchair ramp. "Thank you gentlemen."

Chiron rolled down the ramp and came to stop before Annabeth, who reached out to take his worn and familiar hand between her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's good to see you," she honestly told him.

"And you," Chiron kindly replied, rolling his chair to the side as he smiled over his shoulder at the two men who climbed out of the boat. "Now, may I introduce Miss Annabeth Chase gentlemen? She is the operations manager here at Jurassic World and quite wonderful at it. Unmatched, I daresay."

Annabeth drew herself up at Chiron's praise, turning to face the men with all the poise and power her position demanded.

"Miss Jackson, may I introduce, on your left Mr. Grover Underwood, and your right, Mr. Percy Jackson."

Annabeth gave Grover Underwood a quick glance (slight limp, hippie in appearance, very nervous) before settling on the long-awaited Percy Jackson. And froze.

Later, she would blame years of Thalia's terrible influence for her first thought: _Oh no, he's hot._

But he was. Percy Jackson was tall and lean, built radically different than the scrawny scientist she usually dealt with. His muscles were defined under his tight-fitting shirt, his shoulders wide and jaw strong. His skin was tanned to a perfection that could only be achieved through a lifetime of laboring under the sun's harsh rays. His hair was dark and unruly, her fingers longed to comb through the soft untidy mess. But his _eyes_ were what really drew her in; they were startlingly green, like the depths of the ocean, and they gleamed brightly in the sunlight, alluring and calling. He looked like the breathing embodiment of some great Greek statue, beautiful and powerful. He was quite possibly the most attractive man alive. Then he smiled.

Dear lord have mercy.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Percy Jackson said, holding his hand out.

 _Get it together Annabeth, you're here to run the world's only dinosaur park not to ogle strange men,_ she chastised herself. She cleared her throat and calmly shook his hand, "Likewise."

"I'll have your things brought up to your living quarters," Annabeth said, scrambling to remember the proper thing to say. Dammit, she had rehearsed this conversation hundreds of times over the last week. She knew what she was going to say, she knew how she was going to act. It did not matter how attractive (how very, _very_ attractive) Percy Jackson turned out to be.

"Most of our trainers live in the apartment buildings in the business complex of the park," she continued briskly, getting into the swing of things. "But the velociraptor padlock is located at the south end of the island, several miles away from both the complex and the park itself. We do have housing located at that end of the island if you would prefer, however, it was designed to be a short-term arrangement."

"Short term?" Percy repeated, his brow furrowing as he tucked his hands in the pocket of his jeans. The movement made his pants dip lower and Annabeth firmly fixed her gaze on his face, pretending not to be affected.

"It's actually a trailer," Chiron spoke up. "On the other side of the island, next to your padlock. It's by the ocean."

"Sweet," Percy said.

His casual response made Annabeth stiffen, the lack of professionalism an almost insult, but she brushed it off.

"If that would be more to your liking, we can have your things moved there," She diplomatically decreed. "Now, if you'll follow me, we're going to head to the debriefing room."

She motioned for the men to follow her and led the way back up the pier.

"So," Annabeth said, turning to fix Percy Jackson with a critical (and not at all admiring) gaze. Aesthetics aside, Percy looked…casual. He wore jeans and a tight fitting tee shirt, both of which looked worn and overused. He did not carry a briefcase, or a journal, or field book of any sorts. Even standing before her now in the flesh, she could not puzzle him out. So she bit the bullet. "How long have you been studying velociraptors?"

Percy's eyebrows rose; he looked surprised. "Never."

Annabeth faltered, Chiron coughed somewhere behind her. _Damn you Olympian,_ she thought furiously. She _knew_ he was going to do something like this.

"Oh." She said in a clipped tone. "How long have you been studying prehistoric predators then?"

"Ah – haven't done that either," Percy said, scratching the back of his head and giving Chiron an odd look. Chiron avoided both his and Annabeth's eyes. With a cold, sinking feeling, Annabeth pressed on, fury coiling in her stomach.

"Paleontology, how long have you been studying dinosaurs?"

He dropped the bomb as she viciously swiped her card on the entrance pad for the debriefing room.

"Well, you see I'm a marine biologist – "

"A what?" She demanded, certain that she heard him wrong. Because he could not have said _marine biologist_ because this was a dinosaur park, and he was here to deal with _velociraptors_ –

"Marine biologist." He had the decency to stammer and look uncomfortable. Grover Underwood was gnawing at his lip, looking anywhere but at her.

"And what are you?" She demanded harshly. The curly haired man actually jumped. His face flushed, the red spreading all the way from the scruff on his chin to the tip of his curly forehead, as he hesitantly replied:

"I, ah, have a degree in environmental conservation – "

"Environmental?" Annabeth could not believe her ears.

"Now, Annabeth – " Chiron soothed and she rounded on him.

"A _marine biologist_ and an _environment conservationist._ You sent me _these two_ to work with _velociraptors?_ The world's most intelligent apex predator in their hands?"

Jackson looked offended; Underwood drew himself up, undoubtedly offended by her belittlement of his degree. She couldn't care less. It didn't even matter that Zeus had sent her the most perfect specimen of male beauty on the planet because he was a _marine biologist._

"Annabeth, please, if you gentlemen would give us a moment?" Chiron asked, holding open the debriefing door.

Jackson snorted, waving a hand, "Sure man, go right ahead."

Annabeth decided she hated his laid back attitude. Stiffly, she stalked into the debriefing room. Once the door had shut with a click she rounded on Chiron.

" _What,"_ she demanded, one hand on her hip and the other pointing accusingly at Chiron. "The hell were you two thinking? Is this some kind of elaborate joke? Because, let me tell you Chiron, it's not funny."

Chiron stapled his fingers and watched her calmly, a file he pulled from his satchel resting on his lap.

"No, my dear, there is no joke. Mr. Jackson is going to be our raptor handler, and Mr. Understood his assistant."

He held the file out to her. She snatched it out of his hand, trembling with indignant rage.

"We need a raptor handler Annabeth," Chiron began, just as calm as he had been years ago when lecturing to three hundred students at Stanford's largest hall. "Not a raptor expert. We have several of those already. Unfortunately, they prefer to work in labs and behind glass walls than with the living embodiment of their studies. While paleontology has exploded in the last decade, it still is a relatively small and growing field. There are few individual qualified for this job to your admirable, but impossible standards. And none of them want to actually get in a padlock with a velociraptor. There is no sum large enough to tempt them. But that gentleman outside," he tilted his head towards the soundproof glass wall behind them where Jackson and Underwood stood, "will."

"I'm not asking you to let him make executive decisions for the raptors," Chiron continued softly, "I am simply asking you to let him train them. He is our best shot at this endeavor. We have a team of highly educated, superbly intelligent paleontologists with velociraptor specialties at our call. They will teach him the basics before the eggs hatch. Yes – " he held up a hand to cut her off as she started to object – "I am aware that it does not make him an expert. But the scientists will be with him every step of the way. They are the brain and he is the hands."

Annabeth didn't even know where to begin. She collapsed into one of the chairs, spilling Percy Jackson's file over the table before her. "So what? Chiron, this is insanity. Do we just throw anybody in a cage with a dinosaur and let them learn as they go?"

"Perhaps we would learn more," Chiron lightly suggested. At Annabeth's outraged look, he chuckled and held a hand up to stem her ire.

"No, Annabeth, I understand. It's crazy, it's not ideal, but it's what we have. Nobody wants to get in a cage with a velociraptor Annabeth – "

"Because it's suicide," Annabeth muttered. Chiron politely ignored her.

"Except this man. None of those people you cited as potential handlers would accept the job." At Annabeth's surprised look he smiled lightly, "Yes, I did read them, do not look so surprised. Just because Zeus does not read his memos does not mean they go unread. But, I'll tell you what."

He leaned forward and fixed Annabeth with a deceivingly amiable smile. She stiffened, recognizing the challenging stance from her semester under his tutelage. It was the look he got when he knew he was right but humored his students into believing they could prove him wrong. Typically, the episode ended in tears and the humiliation of the student at their own hands.

"If you can get anybody else to take this job, we'll dismiss Mr. Jackson."

Annabeth sat perfectly still. Did she rise to the bait or should she wait? "What makes him so special?" She asked instead, taking the safe route.

Chiron leaned back, smiling more pleasantly. He clearly thought he had won, but Annabeth was still going to send emails to her first choices with the offer. This was not something she would take lying down.

"Just take a look at your file, my dear," Chiron said. "And try not to be too harsh on the poor lad. I do believe Zeus instructed you to make him feel welcomed. I daresay he isn't feeling very welcomed at the moment."

Annabeth glanced up at the men on the other side of the glass wall. Underwood scowled at the ground, scuffing his dirty shoes against the floor. Jackson leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his shirt riding up enough to tease her with a sliver of his taunt stomach. He rolled his eyes at something his friend said. Undeniably hot, undeniably unqualified for this job. A liability. He needed to go.

"I'll have Silena show them around," she said shortly, turning to the file before her.

Chiron sighed but did not press the point.

"Don't bother, I'll show them around," Chiron told her, wheeling himself around and heading for the door. Jackson grabbed the door for him and held it open.

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Jackson," she heard Chiron warmly say.

"Call me Percy," came the deep reply. She repressed a shiver at his voice.

 _Focus,_ she scolded herself, refusing to look up and watch the three men leave. She determinedly stared at the papers spewed across the table. Once their footsteps faded, leaving her in angry, oppressive silence, she gathered up the papers and headed for her office.

"I'll be in my office and if anybody disturbs me it better be for a code red or else they're going to find themselves on janitor duty," Annabeth shortly told Conner as she stalked past him and into her office. She shut the door with a click, locking it, and turned on her computer.

Then, with a deep calming breath, she opened the file. She spread the papers out on her desk and set to inspecting them. Perseus 'Percy' Jackson almost did not graduated with the rest of his class in high school but managed to barely make the cut at the last moment. He attended a small college in New York she had never heard of before. He earned his degree in _marine biology_ with barely passable C's ("C's get degrees, Chase" she could hear the mocking taunts of her former fellow students, "why work so hard when C's get degrees?"). He was offered a job with a group called Oceanus' Quest a few weeks after graduation. A quick Google search revealed that Oceanus' Quest was a relatively new and radical oceanic conservation organization. They had several federal citations and arrests for radical behavior. She was unsurprised to learn that Percy did field work (she could not picture him behind a desk).

She _was_ surprised to learn that he specialized in sharks. More specifically, the big three most dangerous sharks in the world: the bull shark, the tiger shark, and the great white. His hands on approach to his charges were suicidal, and his lengthy hospital records testified to it. But his results were…phenomenal. Inspiring. Even if they were begotten by suicidal means.

For heaven's sake, this man swam side by side with great white sharks on a regular basis. She was begrudgingly impressed with his work, but she could see what Chiron meant; Percy Jackson had a record full of reckless, dangerous behavior and close encounters with wild animals. And some near death encounters Annabeth read with wide eyes. She was beginning to understand what Chiron meant. Rather than admit defeat, Annabeth picked up her phone and dialed a well-worn number while simultaneously doing a Google search on Percy Jackson.

When Thalia Grace finally picked up on the other line, Annabeth was opening a YouTube video titled "PERCY JACKSON ALMOST BITTEN IN HALF BY GREAT WHITE".

"Why didn't you tell me?" Annabeth briskly asked, muting the sound on her computer as she pressed play. Her best friend groaned as the video came to life. It looked like it was being filmed by a little camera attached to Jackson's head.

"I swear if the great Annabeth Chase is about to ask me why I didn't warn her my cousin was hot I'm going to quit society and live in the forest for the rest of eternity."

Annabeth sputtered, half-indignant and half-embarrassed. That _had_ been her first thought upon meeting Percy, but she did not have to admit that to Thalia. After all, it was her friend's fault that Annabeth's thoughts turned down the route.

"No," she denied immediately, glad her friend was hundreds of miles away and unable to see the fire that spread across Annabeth's face. "Why didn't you tell me he was a _marine biologist?"_

Then the word 'cousin' registered and she fought the urge to bang her head against the wall. _Please,_ she silently begged whatever deity was listening, _please let him be from the Grace side and not the Olympian._

"Oh," Thalia said, sounding bored. Annabeth heard a _pop,_ undoubtedly from the gum her friend constantly chewed. "Yeah. But mostly he's the Shark Whisperer."

"The what?" Annabeth winced as the great white in the video sudden lurched towards the camera, giving the unsettled illusion that its great mouth and rows of razor sharp teeth were coming for her. Percy must have rolled or something, because the image tilted and shook almost sickeningly, a blur of blue and white as the shark barely missed the man.

"The Shark Whisperer," Thalia repeated impatiently. "Because of that thing he does with the sharks. Honestly, Annabeth, don't you ever watch Animal Planet? Or the Discovery Channel? I swear they have him on at least once a week. I think they'd feature him in every Shark Week episode if they could. He's done like four already. Oh, look he's on now, what a surprise."

Annabeth could hear the background buzz of the television through Thalia's phone. Scrolling down to similar videos, Annabeth noticed the nickname 'The Shark Whisperer' did come up a lot. She browsed through them, clicking on one that had the official Discovery Channel logo.

"What's he like?" She asked.

"Percy? Are you asking professionally or because you think my cousin's hot?"

"Professionally Thalia," Annabeth insisted, pushing any other thoughts away because they were dangerous and she had better, greater things to worry about, like keeping thousands of guests safe from the world's smartest predator.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Chase," Annabeth could practically hear Thalia shrug. "Dedicated, that's for sure. When my cousin's passionate about something, he goes full tilt Annabeth and you couldn't ask for someone more dedicated. Easy-going. Bit of an asshole, but usually a friendly asshole unless you really piss him off. His sarcasm could almost rival mine. Stubborn. Loyal to a fault, damn his ridiculous heart."

There was something personal at the end of her little speech Annabeth wanted to ask about, Thalia sounded terribly fond and irritated the way only family could, but there was a hint of darker emotions at the end she did not understand. Now was not the time to get into the complicated mess that was the Olympian family.

"So he just asked his big, powerful uncle if he could please work with dinosaurs?" Annabeth demanded.

On the other end, Thalia snorted, "Oh hell no. My dad hasn't seen Percy in years, and none of us even knew he existed until he was twelve. Percy isn't that kind of guy anyway, he likes to work and earn his way, the little freak. S'probably an inferiority complex left over from his daddy issues."

"Then why is he here?" Annabeth exclaimed in frustration, throwing her free hand up in the air. "Who thought it would be a good idea to bring a _marine biologist_ into my park?"

"Zeus." Thalia sounded bored again, but Annabeth knew it was more of a protective response to any question about her father. "He asked me for Percy's number a few weeks ago, said there was a project at his park he thought Percy could look into. I just assumed you were opening a new aquatic exhibit or something. Clone any ancient sharks recently?"

"No." Annabeth ran a hand through her hair, feeling exhausted. "Okay. Thanks Thals." Then, because it was the polite thing to do and her duty as Thalia's best friend, she asked, "How are you?"

"Shitty," Thalia casually responded, with an obviously faked nonchalance that warned Annabeth a storm was brewing. "Did you know I had a brother?"

"What?" Annabeth frowned, because of all the things she expected her friend to say that was not one of them. "Thalia I've known you for four years and you've never once mentioned a brother."

She mentioned having a couple cousins she loved like brothers…and now that Annabeth stopped and thought about it, Thalia may have mentioned a Percy before.

"He died when he was three. Or, should I say, I was _told_ he died when he was three."

"Oh," Annabeth wasn't sure what to say to that; she wasn't sure there _was_ anything to say to that.

"His name's Jason. And he's very much alive."

"That's – " Annabeth hedged, unsure where she was going with the sentence. She wasn't the _best_ at comforting people, emotions were harder to straighten out and fix up then even her velociraptor problem.

"I know," Thalia thankfully cut her off with a bitter laugh. "I know. Well, good luck running the park while I'm away. Punch Percy for me and tell him not to screw up too much."

That was not a comfort, Annabeth thought with a grimace.

"He's working with velociraptors he better not screw up," Annabeth moaned.

Thalia went silent on the other end. As Annabeth frowned in confusion, her friend spoke again, asking in a deathly calm voice that sent shivers down her back and made her almost feel sorry for Jackson; "He's doing what?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you don't want to live in one of the nice apartments in the park?" Grover asked Percy for what had to be the millionth time.

"I'm sure," Percy confirmed, for like the millionth time.

They stood in the middle of the trailer Chiron promised, just a short drive from the velociraptor paddock. Sure, the trailer was small and cramped, but it had a _great_ view of the ocean. The sound of the ocean, waves gently lapping against the shore and slowly being drawn back out to sea, hissing as they crawled across the sand, always helped lull Percy to sleep. It brought him back to the time before he was an Olympian, when his father was no more than a disembodied voice on the phone whose calls were even less frequent than the worn sand dollars that inexplicably found their way to his doorstep and fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, as unpredictable as the ocean itself; a time when it was just him and his mom against the world and the gentle hum outside that old weather-worn cabin on Montauk's beach made him feel less alone, paradoxically and comfortingly reminding him just how small he was, just how great he could become. Sure he could pull up a recording of the ocean on his iPod, but it wasn't the same. He needed it to be real.

"Lightning Inc. will cover all living expenses," Grover tried again, "why live in this dingy old trailer when you could have one of those large new apartments?"

"Because the apartments don't have that," Percy said, pointing out the window at the ocean just outside.

Grover sighed. "I love nature just as much as the next environmentalist Percy, but that doesn't mean I want to live in the forest away from civilization."

"It's like a fifteen-minute ride up to the park," Percy objected, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to hide away like some hermit G-man, what fun would that be? I just…want the ocean when I sleep."

Grover held his hands up in defeat. It wasn't the first time Percy's codependence on the sea had sparked an argument between the friends and it wouldn't be the last; Grover knew how to pick his battles however and said, "Alright. Suit yourself."

He shoved his hands into his pockets after the declaration, bouncing nervously on his heels.

"So, ah, velociraptors?" Grover asked weakly.

"We've talked about this Grover," Percy reminded him, shoving the last of his bags into the cramped trailer and letting it unceremoniously fall to the floor. He nudged it with his foot until it was halfway under the lopsided table and he was mostly certain that it wouldn't trip anyone. "You didn't have to come."

"I was hoping to talk you out of it," Grover grumbled, scuffing his shoes on the trailer floor. "And how could I let my best friend run off and play with velociraptors without me? Somebody has to stop you from getting eaten. Besides, if I stayed with Oceanus' Quest they would just shackle me up with someone new and it wouldn't be the same."

"Aw, I'd miss you too buddy," Percy dramatically clutched his chest, fluttering his eyelashes at his friend.

"Shut up," Grover laughed, giving him a shove. Percy stumbled a bit, narrowly avoiding tripping over the half hidden bag that maybe posed a bigger hazard to his health than previously assumed, chortling quietly.

"Do we even know what we're doing?" Grover asked, sitting down on one of the rickety chairs in the trailer.

"No," Percy replied, rummaging around in his new fridge to see what he had to stock up on. He made a mental list as he went along - Mountain Dew, chips, blue food coloring – "but when do we ever?"

"These are velociraptors Percy," Grover said softly.

Percy paused and looked over his shoulder at his best friend, who was worrying away at his fingernails. Percy felt a soft pang of guilt. Grover was always such a great friend. He supported Percy through the roughest times in his life and was still willing to hang around. When Percy told him he was going to take the job at Jurassic World, Grover flipped. Refused to speak to Percy for three whole days. Then showed up at Percy's door the night before he left and demanded to come along as an assistant. Percy didn't know what he ever did to deserve such a loyal friend, but he would be forever grateful for Grover's support.

"I know," Percy said, trying to make his voice as calm and soothing as possible. He wasn't very good at it. "It's crazy. But they've got like a billion safety measures in place and the world's best scientist to boss us around. Besides, I mean, we get to work with velociraptors. How many people can say that?"

"Only the crazy ones," Grover bemoaned, but he looked a little better so Percy thought his efforts to cheer him up were a success.

"And the pay is _fantastic,_ " Percy laughed. He had to sit down when Chiron told him what to expect. "I'll finally be able to pay off my student loans. And I thought I was going to be in debt forever."

"That pay is real nice," Grover admitted with a wry smile.

"Come on, we have to pick up some supplies and met the locals," Percy said excitedly, clapping his hands together. "There have to be some more friendly than their park manager."

Annabeth Chase certainly was…something. Percy was more than a little offended at her mockery of his degree, but he supposed it sort of made sense. He _didn't_ know anything about any sort of dinosaur. He could see where she would be upset. He wouldn't exactly want a lawyer coming onto one of his boats and thinking he could just jump in and swim with the sharks. But, honestly, the whole idea was Chiron and Zeus' fault not his so she could have been nicer about it. Besides, Chiron promised they would get a crash course in velociraptors in the coming weeks.

And to think, he thought she was pretty when he first saw her. (Pretty and _smart_ which was a dangerous combination.)

"I hope so," Grover muttered, following his more enthusiastic friend out of the trailer.

"Did you call Juniper and tell her we reached the island in one piece?" Percy teased as they climbed into the car Lightning Inc. provided. Yeah, the company provided a car. Percy was still pretty stoked. He lovingly patted the car's wheel and twisted the key in the ignition.

"Listen to her purr," he said lovingly as Grover blushed and stuttered over his last statement.

"She called me actually," Grover admitted.

"Really?" Percy asked, grinning and looking at his friend out of the corner of his eye. Grover was still doing his best impression of a tomato. "What'd she say?"

"She just wanted to know if we reached the island safely," Grover said, sounding much too defensive.

"Oh, no, that's not all of it," Percy cackled, getting immense pleasure out of the dark colors his friend's face was turning.

"Shut up and drive," Grover moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"I'll get it out of you," Percy warned, turning his eyes back to the road. It was a short fifteen-minute drive through the back of the island to reach the park itself and the towering mini metropolis alongside it. Jurassic World was an impressive sight. Guests could stay at any number of luxurious hotels, dine at dinosaur themed restaurants, and shop at the dazzling mall all before ever stepping foot inside the park. Next to the commercial center were towering glass business buildings, the control center, and apartment buildings for the workers.

"We should find the place where our seminars are going to take place," Grover added as they climbed out of the car.

Boring, Percy thought, but nodded because boring or not that was probably important.

"Yeah, but let's get some get some food first, I'm starving."

Following his nose, Percy dragged Grover along a boardwalk in the quest for some lunch. A group of people were gathered outside a simple looking restaurant and as the pair meandered over, one of them smiled and stepped out to greet them.

"Oh you must be our new trainers," the woman said, smiling kindly at them. She swept brown hair out of her eyes and held out a hand, "I'm Katie Gardener, I work with the infants at the petting zoo."

"Percy Jackson and this is Grover Underwood," Percy introduced, shaking her hand, "nice to meet you."

"You're the ones working with the velociraptors," a deep voice said and a huge man stepped up behind Katie. Seriously, this guy looked like he belonged at some bodybuilder's club or something, not a glorified animal theme park - he was huge. There was a frown on his dark face as he regarded them.

"Charles Beckendorf." Katie introduced, "Call him Beckendorf."

"Yes, we are," Percy agreed, reluctantly holding out a hand for the guy to shake and hoping desperately he wouldn't break it. The handshake was firm, but he left all of Percy's bones intact much to the slighter man's relief.

"That's crazy," Beckendorf said. Unlike Annabeth, he did not look particularly mean when he said it (which was strange, seeing as he was, you know, build like King Kong); he was simply making a statement.

"It is." Percy did not bother denying it. Beckendorf nodded, respecting his reply.

"We're having a crew lunch today," Katie said, motioning behind her where the restaurant was full of laughing patrons. "We would love it if you joined us."

"That sounds awesome," Percy honestly replied and let the kind girl lead them inside.

The restaurant was brightly lit, great light fixtures in the shape of torches burned brightly on the walls and one giant fixture emulating the sun hung above their heads. The walls were entirely painted with elaborate and beautiful scenes of prehistoric life, peaceful dinosaurs living in harmony in green pastures and lush forests (he could not find a single predator as his eyes jumped around, which could be taken as an ominous sign and warning of unsavory things to come, but Percy had lost any inkling of self-preservation years ago; he wasn't fazed). Some of the torch-like lights were covered with metal cutouts of various dinosaurs, casting their unique shadows on the walls. The floor was smooth but designed to look like mud with dinosaur footprints squished into it. Whoever did the decorating deserves a raise, Percy thought, impressed, as Katie led them to a back table.

"Everyone inside right now works with the park," Katie explained with a flutter of her hand, "but they're not all trainers. Beckendorf here is our chief mechanic. And wonderful at his job, he keeps us all very safe."

Beckendorf nodded at her words, taking a seat at a table already occupied by three other people.

"And these are the Stoll brothers, Connor and Travis," Katie introduced, motioning towards the two men at the table. Percy blinked at the pair. With the exception of a moderate height difference Percy would have sworn the two before him were twins. They both had a mop of curly brown hair and almost elfish features. Their twisted smirks told him he found the troublemakers of the island.

"Conner works in control and Travis with the gallimimus in the valley," Katie moved on quickly before either man had a chance to respond, "and next to Beckendorf is Silena. She's an apatosaurus handler, although right now she's helping out in the control center since Annabeth's usual right hand is on leave."

Silena glanced up at them from Beckendorf's side. The large man almost completely concealed her, but not enough that Percy couldn't tell Silena was gorgeous. She smiled charmingly at them, her beautiful eyes wide.

"You're the new velociraptor handlers," she said, her eyes slowly and carefully raking over the pair.

"Nope, that's only him. I'm just here to make sure he doesn't get eaten," Grover quickly corrected as they all took a seat.

"That's Beckendorf's job," Silena said slyly, looking up at Beckendorf from beneath her long eyelashes. "He's been working on the velociraptor paddock. You won't have to worry about them, Beckendorf is the best mechanic you could ever ask for."

If Percy was not mistaken, it looked like Beckendorf's cheeks flushed under the praise and the giant man took a long drink to cover his embarrassment.

"So," Travis said, leaning forward with a wicked grin. "Wanna hear some crazy Jurassic World stories?"

"No," Grover said quickly at the same time Percy said:

" _Yes."_

They spent the next few hours with their new friends. Travis and Conner were hilarious, although Percy was sure he would have to look out for their pranks in the future least he became their next unfortunate victim. Katie was absolutely sweet and helpful. Beckendorf was a rather silent presence through the conversation, but Percy thought that was just his personality. Silena was surprisingly witty and wicked. All in all, he was pleased with his new coworkers.

"I like them," he told Grover as they set off, waving over his shoulder at their new friends. Katie had kindly pointed them in the direction of the building they were supposed to meet the scientists at for their daily velociraptor lessons.

"They're nice," Grover agreed with a small smile. As they walked, Percy felt his phone buzz and he pulled it out, checking the ID. _Poseidon_ flashes across the screen. Percy's smile twisted into a scowl as he pocketed the phone, not even bothering to cancel the incoming call. His voicemail was full so it wasn't like he could leave a message. His father had called Percy obsessively since their last argument and he happily ignored each and every one. Grover watched him carefully but did not say anything. Instead, he just offered another smile as they climbed into the building.

"Percy Jackson?"

"That's me," Percy said, turning at the call as they walked into the science building. A Japanese man walked towards them, white lab coat swirling around his knees and carrying a clipboard. As he drew closer, Percy realized one of his eyes were covered by an eyepatch, like a vengeful pirate in a cheap, low budget movie you'd expect to find flicking through the channels late at night.

"Dr. Nakamura?" Percy guessed, recalling the name of their scientist instructor. He looked awfully young, not much older than Percy himself.

The scientist scowled as if Percy insulted him. "Her son," the man said bitterly, "Dr. Nakamura was called away and won't be back before the eggs hatch."

"Oh," Percy said, glancing at Grover nervously. "So then who's, ah, going to teach – "

"I am," Nakamura's son scowled harder. "I'm not as good as my mother but I know my way around a velociraptor's genome well enough."

"Right," Percy said, not entirely sure what that meant but nodding anyway. "Sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"Ethan Nakamura," Ethan grumbled.

"Are you another Dr. Nakamura?" Percy asked, "because that must get really confusing."

"Yes, and it does a little," Ethan admitted and Percy almost thought he saw a smile.

"You're awfully young to have a doctorate," Percy babbled as Ethan lead them deeper into the building. Ethan started to scowl again but Percy plowed on. "That's really impressive."

"Thanks," Ethan said shortly, looking baffled. He swiped a badge on a blinking keypad and led them inside a sterile, white room. "This is where we'll meet every day, at about eight in the morning alright? We have a lot of information to cover and Miss Chase wants us to be as thorough as possible in the short time."

 _Of course she does,_ Percy thought with a sigh. And he thought he was done with school. He stared longingly down the hallway at freedom but followed the younger Dr. Nakamura into the room for their first lesson on his upcoming charges.

Ethan did not release them until late that night. Percy helped Grover move into his new apartment (because Percy rather owed the guy for coming all this way and yeah the apartments are pretty swanky Grover but no I don't want one) before driving back to the trailer. Percy did not have time to get the trailer set up to his standards yet, but he was too tired and his brain hurt too much to bother with it tonight. Instead, he collapsed onto his new bed and kicked off his shoes. He was suddenly reminded why he hated school so much; he did _not_ look forward to returning to Ethan's little learning room tomorrow.

As he flopped over on the bed, his phone buzzed and he groaned, pulling his pillow over his head. _Stop calling me,_ he thought in misery. _I don't want to talk to you._ After buzzing a few more times, the phone vibrating dangerously close to the edge but Percy refused to grab it, his unwanted caller went to voicemail and Percy stretched out peacefully on the bed, relishing the silence and tranquility...then it started ringing again.

"Oh for the love of," Percy grumbled, snatching the offensive device before it could fall off the end table. As he squinted angrily at it, he realized the number flashing across the screen did not belong to his father, but rather his cousin. She left him about a dozen texts, the last of which read: _Get on Skype you asshole._

Feeling it was in the best interest of his continued good health to comply, Percy pulled out his laptop and opened up Skype. Thalia was waiting impatiently for him.

"About damn time," she snarled when she appeared on his screen.

She scowled angrily at him, her dark eyeliner and shadow creating a ghastly image. She lounged angrily over a plush chair, her ears bright red from where she had been tugging on her stud earrings (a nervous habit she would never admit to). Her clothes, a style somewhere between punk and rebel Thalia insisted, were rumbled. All in all, his cousin did not look happy. Judging by the 'Death to Barbie' and 'Stick it to the Man' posters behind her, Percy guessed she was in her old childhood room. That was enough to put anyone in a bad mood so he sympathized.

"Sorry, I've been ignoring my phone all day," Percy said with an apologetic shrug. "My dad's been trying to get ahold of me so…"

He trailed off awkwardly, not really wanting to elaborate. Thalia understood; deadbeat fathers were something they had in common.

"Whatever. Never mind that, velociraptors Percy, really?" Thalia exploded, throwing her hands up in exasperation as she cut to the heart of the matter in the blunt way his cousin always liked to do. "You're a goddamn marine biologist, what the hell do you know about velociraptors?"

"Absolutely nothing," Percy shrugged. He wondered who broke the news to her; he doubted Zeus would. Thalia was angry enough with him at the moment.

"You never do think," Thalia hissed, pointing her finger at him accusingly. Percy scowled at her angry image.

"I think plenty," he snapped back, crossing his arms and glowering down at his computer, "I was thinking about how good the pay was and how I didn't want to live off ramen noodles for the rest of my life. I was thinking about how Oceanus' Quest was heading down a path I wasn't exactly comfortable with. I was thinking about how I didn't want to be Oceanus' pawn anymore and needed a break. But most of all, I was thinking about all the safety protocols _I asked about_ and how exactly they wanted me to do this job of which _I knew nothing about."_

Thalia grunted. "Okay, so you tested the water before you jumped in. Doesn't mean the water was safe, though."

"It never is," Percy shrugged. Then, with a sly smile, added, "It's not as much fun without a little bit of danger."

"You're an idiot," Thalia shortly informed him, but she did not deny his statement either. He wasn't the only one with a reckless side. "And you're going to get eaten alive and leave me all alone to tell your poor mother of your stupid demise."

"Nico's already writing my eulogy so you don't have to worry about that," Percy quipped with a smile. Nico was their other cousin, the youngest of the three. Thalia and Percy both were very protective of their little cousin, much to Nico's chagrin. His father, their uncle, was overprotective enough. The three cousin were practically siblings, and Percy loved and hated them both like they were his brother and sister.

Thalia's lips twitched and Percy counted that as a win. "Talked to the little skeleton already have you? I thought Daddy dearest was taking him on vacation before he started university in the fall."

"He is," Percy affirmed, "but I managed to sneak a call in before they left."

"Twerp," Thalia said, but her anger had all but fizzled out by now. "Does he know about your crazy new job?"

"Well, I told him I was working at Jurassic World – "

"But you conveniently left out the raptors," Thalia sarcastically added, rolling her eyes. "Of course you did."

"He's got enough to worry about," Percy defended. "And so do you."

Thalia quieted at that.

"How are you Thals?" Percy asked gently, awkwardly shifting on his bed. Thalia did not look good, and he wondered how much of the ire she directed at him was really left over from her father's betrayal.

"Not good," Thalia admitted softly. Percy winced; there was nothing worse than hearing Thalia admit something was wrong. Something had to be seriously wrong for her to admit it, even to him.

"How's Jason?"

Thalia gave a bitter laugh, running her fingers through her uncombed hair. "Good. Really, really good. Can you believe that? He's handling this all so much better than I am. I'm a mess and he's in the kitchen making cookies or some shit because he's a goddamn ray of sunshine."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Percy whispered softly.

"I thought he was dead," Thalia said bitterly. Percy nodded, he remembered the tortured and haunted look that crossed his cousin's face whenever she thought about her brother. He remembered the first and only time he ever saw her cry was when she told him about the brother she couldn't protect, the one she hadn't been able to save. "I mourned for him for so long. I looked after him you know? Because Mom sure didn't. He was my responsibility, my little brother, and then he was just gone and I was devastated."

He was only twelve when he meet Thalia for the first time, and by that point Jason had been out of the picture for years. Zeus had been granted full custody of his daughter a few years before but the pain and horrors of living with her terrible mother still weighed heavily on the girl. They still wore on her now.

"Dad took him away when he was three," Thalia confessed, holding her head in her hands and not looking at Percy as she spoke. "When Mom was…when Mom was really bad. You know, I've told you how she used to get. Drunk and angry, throwing and hitting shit. Dad didn't have any money then, didn't have a house, hell he still lived with Uncle Hades at the time. The state wouldn't give us up to him because Mom had a house and apparently that was more important. The lawsuit was dragging on and on, Dad didn't have any money and Mom spent all of hers on drug and booze."

"So Dad took Jason. Gave him to some distant relative who lived in Greece, of all place," Thalia's shoulders shook, but from laughter or grief Percy couldn't be sure. "And set it up to look like Mom lost him. He must have covered his tracks pretty good because there's still a police case open in New York for the missing Jason Grace."

"But I just...I just don't understand. I mean I get it. Mom was bad. I at least could go to school and get away from her for a while and look after myself when I was home but Jason? Jason was a baby. Mom didn't feed him, his growth was stunted - he's a giant now by the way – and everyone was afraid Mom's neglect would kill him. And it probably would have. So Dad rescued him."

Thalia paused.

"But why did he leave me?"

The words were so soft Percy almost missed them. He winced, unsure how to respond.

"God, I'm such a bitch." Thalia moaned. "I'm complaining that my dad didn't leave my baby brother to starve to death."

"No, Thalia, it's not like that," Percy objected. "You're just – "

"A terrible, envious sister who is sulking in her room instead of making cookies with her long lost brother," Thalia murmured, slamming her head against her desk. Percy winced at the loud crack.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Percy soothed, "You loved Jason. You're not upset that he's okay, just at how your dad handled everything."

"I called to yell at you, not sign up for a therapy session," came Thalia's muffled reply.

"And I charge by the hour," Percy teased. "You owe me a hundred bucks." She flipped him off. "No, but seriously, maybe just go downstairs and be with him? I mean, that sounds like a good place to start?"

"What has my life come to, I'm getting advice from Perseus Jackson," Thalia complained.

"Hey I can give good advice," Percy huffed. "You just don't appreciate my special brand of awesomeness. Now, go downstairs and show my new cousins the beauty of blue chocolate chip cookies."

"Awesomeness?" Thalia snickered, looking up at him. He was relieved that her eyes weren't red. He didn't know what he would do if Thalia had actually cried. "How old are you, five? Fine, I'll go make some nice, _normal_ chocolate chip cookies that aren't blue, because your obsession with adding blue food coloring to everything is _weird."_

"If by weird you mean awesome."

"I don't even know what happened to this conversation," Thalia exclaimed, shaking her head, "I just wanted to call and tell you how stupid you were."

"Noted," Percy said with mock graveness, saluting his cousin. She made a face and he made one back. It was childish and silly, but it made them both feel better.

"Jurassic World has the best scientists and mechanics in the world," Thalia said slowly, drawing herself up into what Percy and Nico called 'overprotective big sister' mode. "And Annabeth runs a tight ship. So you _are_ crazy, but you're in good hands. Just listen to people when they tell you not to do something alright? Because I swear, if I hear you've been eaten alive I'll resurrect you and kill you myself."

"I'll try not to do anything stupid," Percy vaguely promised. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Bye Percy, I have cookies to make."

"Tell my new cousin I said hi!" Percy managed to call before she disappeared. He settled back against his bed, his last grin fading as he gazed at the now dark screen. Nothing in their lives was ever easy and his heart ached for his cousin. He kind of wanted to take a flight to New York and strange his uncle.

Thinking about Thalia and his new cousin Jason hurt too much so Percy shoved the thoughts away and pulled his cell phone towards him. He had one more phone call to make.

"Hello, Mom? Yes, this is Percy. No, I made it to the island just fine. Grover's fine as well. Met some of my co-workers today, they were real nice."

Percy leaned back on his bed and grinned as he happily chatted away to his mother, letting her banish all the bad feelings from his head.

* * *

The next four weeks seemed to drag on. Percy would get up in the morning, drive to the park and pick up Grover. They would grab a quick breakfast, sometimes with Katie or the Stoll brothers or even Beckendorf and Silena when they caught the pair, then head over to Ethan's torture – ahem – _learning_ room. Ethan would then proceed to drown them in information on velociraptors before dumping them out at the end of the day, their brains full and aching. It was a special kind of torture and Percy found himself longing for the spray of the ocean breeze and even Oceanus' crazy plans.

He called his mom almost every night and chatted with her. Thalia checked in with him from time to time, just as much to make sure he was still alive as for the moral support he hoped he provided. She had yet to introduce him to Jason. Percy knew she needed some time so he squished his own burning curiosity into submission and gave her some room. Park manager Annabeth Chase made herself scarce. Percy hadn't even caught a glimpse of the woman since his first day.

Then, just after lunch on a Friday evening, Ethan asked:

"Would you like to see the eggs?"

"Yes," Percy replied before the question even fully left the doctor's mouth. Anything to get out of this room. Ethan could probably suggest they take a stroll through the T-Rex's cage and Percy would agree.

"Follow me," he said, motioning at Percy and Grover. He led them deeper into the building, using his special access code to take them into the very heart of the science center. The hallway they walked down was almost blindingly white. Their footsteps echoed ominously in the otherwise silent area and Percy glanced around nervously as Ethan opened the last set of doors.

"Percy, let me introduce you to your future pack," Ethan said and the doors opened with a hiss.

The egg room was just as sterile and white as the hallway. In the center of the room sat an incubator, large and imposing. A steady hum came from it, warm yellow light spilling over its edges.

"Go ahead, they're just eggs," Ethan rolled his eyes and gave Percy a little shove. Percy looked over at Grover, who held his hands up and took a step back.

"Alright," Percy muttered.

With a deep breath, he slowly walked forward until he stood next to the incubator, feeling the heat radiating against his legs as he peered through the thick glass. Four eggs lay inside. They were large and very much unlike any eggs Percy had ever seen before. They were speckled, with little flecks of brown and green dotting across their surfaces. The shells looked more like the surface of sandpaper than the smooth of a chicken egg. Actually, they almost looked like large fancy rocks, albeit egg shaped ones. As Percy peered closer, pressing a hand against the glass as curiosity took over, one of them moved.

A crack appeared in the shell, starting at the top of the slightly pointed egg and spindling down the side; a hairline crack that crisscrossed across the surface like lightning in the sky.

"Ah, Ethan?" Percy said as the crack spread, snaking out over the strange surface of the egg. "I think it's hatching."

"What? Shit," Ethan cursed. Then he was pressing buttons and calling people, shouting down the line as the fissure in the egg grew larger. Percy didn't pay him any attention, his wide eyes fixed on the egg. As he watched, a little claw poked through the shell, a dark black point that easily sliced through the thick shell.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ Percy wondered.


	5. Chapter 5

The world moved on and Annabeth didn't have time to wallow in self-pity or rage at the unfairness of her situation for any longer than her last phone call with Thalia allowed. As soon as she clicked the red _end_ button, she was moving on. Percy Jackson was here to stay and she had to make the most of it. She called Ethan Nakamura and had him send her the material he planned to prep their new trainers with.

The younger Dr. Nakamura was not Annabeth's first choice to prep the to-be raptor trainers, a rather discomforting continuation of her lack of control on this fiasco. His mother, Nemesis, happened to be the leading biological paleontologist in the world, and she specialized in prehistoric predators. Annabeth was confident in the elder Dr. Nakamura's ability to properly prepare the new trainers for their momentous task. But of course, Nemesis had been mysteriously called away right before Olympian decided to bring Percy Jackson to their island. Sometimes Annabeth felt like the entire universe was conspiring against her. Well, unfortunately for the universe, Annabeth Chase did not give up; she made impossible tasks _possible_.

Ethan was good, of that Annabeth had no doubt (she did not hire him because his mother worked for Lightning Inc. but because he passed her vigorous and thorough testing process), but he had little experience with velociraptors (Annabeth dutifully ignore the voice in her head that reminded her that very few people did).

The whole velociraptor situation was turning into a circus that was rapidly spinning out of Annabeth's control. She was determined to reign it in. Unfortunately, the rest of the park couldn't be put on hold while she sorted this mess out. She met with Ethan intermediately, reviewing his presentations and receiving updates on Jackson's progress. She avoided the man himself, ducking out before he arrived and waiting until long after he left. She still shuddered when she thought of the conversation she had after Jackson's introduction to the crew:

"You didn't tell us he was hot."

"Silena," Annabeth scolded, looking up from her work to frown at the impeccably dressed woman that just waltzed into her office without knocking. Katie Gardener entered more calmly, with a sort of apologetic smile and a peace offering in the form of coffee in her hand.

"Two creams, one sugar, we all know your coffee habits," Silena dismissed when Annabeth opened her mouth to inquire. Annabeth rose an eyebrow but pulled the offered coffee towards her, dipping her head in thanks to Katie, who smiled sweetly before taking up residency in one of her chairs. Which. No.

"No – " Annabeth started to object as Silena herself plopped down next to Katie.

"Yes." Silena disagreed, crossing her arms and legs in one smooth movement. "Now, why didn't you tell us he was hot?"

Annabeth groaned, not even bothering to ask who the 'he' was. She knew immediately who Silena was talking about. "Does it matter? He is here for work not for his aesthetic value."

"So you admit he's hot?"

Annabeth scowled at Silena's grin, "I admit that he has a certain aesthetic appeal that conforms to society's unrealistic expectations." Then she added, and not at all due to the dark emotion that wound its way into her stomach at the girls' words, "besides don't you have Beckendorf?"

"That doesn't mean I can't look." Silena huffed with a toss of her ridiculously perfect hair. Her painted lips turned down into a pout, "and I don't have Beckendorf…at least not yet."

"He just needs a little encouragement," Katie said sympathetically, patting Silena's knees. "He clearly adores you."

"Does he?" Silena asked, her voice oddly vulnerable as she turned to Katie, "because sometimes it's just so hard to tell! I think he avoids me sometimes."

"Nerves," Katie assured her firmly. "He's quite shy, but trust me Silena he adores you. Don't lose your confidence."

Annabeth took a sip of her coffee, wondering just how her life came to this; employees barging into her private office to gossip about boys and relationships as if they were giggling preteens again instead of full grown adults with responsibilities. She was of half a mind to call Thalia and beg her to come back.

"Right, confidence. I am confident, I am unstoppable. And if Beckendorf doesn't realize what a perfect catch I am then it's his loss," Silena said forcefully, shaking herself. "But back to the point. You – " she pointed an accusing finger at Annabeth – "didn't warn us that the new trainer was hot."

"I was wearing khakis," Katie lamented softly, her lower lip pouting out as she plucked at her pants.

"Katie was wearing khakis," Silena tsked, glaring at Annabeth as if Katie's fashion choices were entirely her fault. Kindly to Katie she added, "I told you that they clashed with your color dear, did you try on that shirt I bought you?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Percy Jackson met your standards of beauty," Annabeth said, cutting the conversation off before it could veer down the dangerous path of fashion.

Silena tilted her head, her lips pressed together in a sympathetic smile, "Oh honey, as if he didn't ruin you for all other men."

"He hasn't," Annabeth hotly denied, well aware she was dragging herself into this degrading conversation but unable to hold herself above it.

Silena continued to give her that sympathetic smile, tinted with a hint of condescension. Even Katie gave her a look of fond disbelief, as if she knew Annabeth was lying but was kind enough to keep it to herself.

"You know what? It doesn't matter and I have things to do," Annabeth said briskly. "Thank you for the coffee but I have a lot of work to do. Actually, we all have a lot of work to do, so if you don't mind."

"Don't stress yourself out," Katie said sweetly, graciously understanding Annabeth's desires and dragging Silena to her feet. She ushered the protesting woman to the door and waved at their boss over her shoulder. "You always know where to find us if you need anything, or if you just want to talk."

"Oh and Annabeth?"

Annabeth met Katie's kind eyes, which had an almost motherly glint to them that perhaps should have been weird but she generally found to be actually quite soothing. "Thalia should be back soon. Hang in there."

"Thanks, Katie," Annabeth said with a wiry smile, taking a sip of her coffee. "And thank you for the coffee."

"It was a gift to ourselves, you're impossible without caffeine," Katie teased, laughing as she closed the door behind them.

All in all, it had been a terrible conversation. Terrible thanks to Silena's obsession with profiling the aesthetic value of her male coworkers and the fact that Annabeth may have, just the teeny tiniest bit, enjoyed it. She shuddered lightly as she walked. Thalia better return soon; it seemed she took all the common sense on this damn island with her when she left.

Onto more important and relevant things: the raptors had hatched. Actually, they had hatched almost two whole weeks ago but Annabeth had stalled their meeting. She stood by her unheeded decree that velociraptors were dangerous and had no place in her park. They had no place in _any_ park actually, but that veered dangerously close to the entire debate on the ethics of genetic revival and she was not willing to head down that road.

Still, velociraptors were bad news.

But Annabeth was the manager of this park and she would bear all of her duties with dignity. She was meeting the velociraptor's today. She held her weekly progress report firmly under one arm and a scalding coffee in the other as she approached the hatchery. Ethan's last report detailed the newborns as only six inches in length and five pounds. The size of a kitten. A hard reptilian kitten with thousands of years of predatory instinct and razor sharp teeth and claws already able to tear through flesh.

"It had to be velociraptors," Annabeth grumbled as she strode down the sterile white hallway. Taking a sip of her coffee, and ignoring the burning sensation as the too hot liquid scorched her throat, Annabeth swiped her ID card and waited as the sliding doors of the hatchery opened.

"Miss Chase, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Dr. Prometheus, the second oldest genetic scientist Lightning Co. employed, greeted her. He was a tall if not mildly generic looking man, his lab coat billowed behind him as he strode forward, giving the slightly unsettling illusion that the man and his sterile surroundings were one and the same.

"Dr. Prometheus," she greeted with a nod of her head. "I'm here to see Dr. Nakamura, is he in?"

"He's in the back, with the raptors," Dr. Prometheus said knowingly, nodding his heads towards another set of sliding white doors.

"Thank you," Annabeth sighed, squaring her shoulders as she walked confidently towards the doors. She was not nervous. They were still only babies, their dangerous sickle claws were only a quarter of an inch in length. It was okay.

The doors opened with a hiss. The raptors' nursey was just as sterile and blindingly white as the rest of the hatchery, and why she expected anything else she didn't know. She took two steps inside, the doors sliding close behind her with another long hiss before she realized that it was not Ethan Nakamura waiting for her beside the nursey, but rather none other than the raptor trainer, Percy Jackson, himself.

He looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. They blinked at each other, the humming of the heating lamps the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

Jackson recovered first, his stupidly perfect jaw snapping shut and his face smoothing out as he appraised her.

"Didn't expect to see you here," he said, his voice startling in the quiet room. She refused to dwell on his voice, the gravely notes in his low tenor or the ghost of an almost forgotten New York accent. Instead, she focused on his words themselves and found herself growing angry.

"I am the park manager," she snapped, her eyes flashing. "It's my job to make sure everything in this park runs smoothly and right now our biggest concerns are the new assets. Where else should I be?"

"Assets?" Jackson repeated, his brow furrowing.

"Assets," Annabeth repeated, stepping forward to the man's side. Resolving to avoid his gaze, Annabeth bravely peered down at the four creatures behind the reinforced glass nursery.

Under the bright artificial light of three heat lamps, four velociraptors took form.

They were small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, although their tails would extend beyond. Their bodies were narrow and sleek but, to her immense surprise, a collection of bright feathers poked out of their necks. Vaguely, she recalled Ethan mentioning something about them exhibiting both avian and reptilian physical traits but she hadn't thought much of it at the time. Idly, she thought that Olympian wouldn't like that; he wanted the raptors to look how people expected them too, not how nature intended.

The thought disappeared as quickly as it came; there were more important things to worry about then the raptor's physical appearance. In the corner of the nursery, two raptors wrestled, tiny but deadly teeth and claws tearing at tough leather skin as they rolled around. They were both dark in coloring, one of them seemed to be a solid almost teal color while the other leaned more heavily towards the green side. Their feathers were just as dark as their scales, their colors perfectly matching that of the rest of their bodies.

Next to the quarreling pair, one of their sisters was sleeping. This one was curled into a tight ball, her tail wrapping completely around her slight frame. She was lighter than any of the others, specks doted her scales in various shades of tan.

But it was the last one that drew Annabeth's attention. She stood perfectly still in the center of the nursery, watching her. This raptor was a dark blue, except for a pale strip that ran down her back. The dark blue feathers on her neck fluttered as she tilted her head, her jaw grinding together as beady eyes trained on Annabeth. A chill went down her back at that cold reptilian gaze and she had to force herself not to shiver. Even as a baby, these raptors were killers with long, sharp memories; she could not show fear. The raptor would remember. _This was a terrible idea._

Annabeth had the sudden urge to jerk the incubator plug out of the wall, to deprive the hatchlings of their crucial heat, to drag their infuriating trainer out of the room and lock the doors behind them to never look back. This was wrong. Raptors were too dangerous, too much intelligence and deadly predatory instinct shone in those cold beady eyes.

They were death. She brought death into her park. An almost hysterical giggle burned in her throat but Annabeth swallowed it down. They brought death to life, in every way imaginable. Even the T-Rex didn't scare her as much as the four abominations before her.

Annabeth closed her eyes, exhaling slowly through her nose and forcing her hysterical thoughts away. It was okay. The raptors were hatchlings, tucked safely behind reinforced glass specially designed to hold the creatures it contained. Their claws would never be sharp enough to break the glass, their bodies never able to generate enough strength to shatter their walls. They were safe, at least for now. And once they got large enough, they would be carefully moved to a paddock complete with steel electric fences and electronically operated doors. It would be okay. She had them contained, controlled.

Jackson's startling green eyes peered curiously at her when she reopened her own.

"What?" She cleared her throat, trying to discretely calm her racing heart.

"The blue one staring at you, her name's Juno."

"Judo?" Annabeth repeated, "you named her after the martial art?"

Jackson's face contorted, the distaste Annabeth felt visible on his face. "No," he huffed, obviously offended. "Like the Roman goddess Juno – you know the fierce goddess of unity and family. She's my Juno. She's fierce and violent and will fight to the death for her family." At her stunned look he gave a bitter grin, "Surprised I knew all that huh? I'm not an idiot you know."

"You could have Googled it." She hadn't meant to say that. Juno's gaze rattled her more than she cared to admit.

"Whatever," Jackson sighed, shaking his head. "Well…the tan one's Minerva." He pointed at the sleeping raptor, and Annabeth crept forward in silent repentance as he continued to introduce the raptors.

"Don't let her fool you – she's a sneaky one and totally not really sleeping right now."

"You can't know that," Annabeth objected, peering at the little raptor, whose body rose and fell in long, soft breaths. Jackson shot her a dirty look.

"Yes I can. Her breathing is too even and controlled, and she's holding herself too still. Deliberate. If she were really sleeping she would twitch every now and then and her breathing wouldn't be so careful."

That…actually made a lot of sense.

"The green one is Diane. She's got anger issues. She'll fight anyone over anything. I think right now she's upset because her sister was breathing too loud or some crap. She'll win – Juno's the only one who could take her in a fight. The like blueish-green one is Ceres. She's the calmest of them all. But don't let her fool you either, she's the most tenacious of them all."

"Tenacious?" Annabeth repeated with raised eyebrows.

Jackson's face flushed as he scowled down at her, "I did graduate from college with a four year degree you know."

"Just doesn't seem like your kind of word," Annabeth remarked lightly, determined to hold this marine biologist at arm's length. He did not belong here and she couldn't forget it. "And you couldn't have known all of that – they're only two weeks old."

"It's been a long two weeks. Here – "

He looked down at the nursery, meeting Juno's eyes. He raised his hand and, with his index finger, sharply rapped on the glass. Annabeth noticed, with wide eyes, that only his fingernail came in contact with the glass, creating three sharp staccatos. All four raptors turned to him. The sound distracted the brawling pair, and as Ceres turned her sharp gaze to the glass, Diane pinned her down with a growl. But even from beneath her sister, Ceres kept her eyes trained on Percy and Diane, crouched menacingly over the smaller raptor, did the same. Minerva's eyes snapped opened, all pretense of sleep evaporating as her eyes zeroed in on Percy's movement.

Her head tilting to the side, Juno crooned three short little barks. A shiver ran down Annabeth's spine as she realized the raptor was trying to imitate Percy's sounds. Learning, memorizing and imitating, already at only two weeks. What would they be able to do in two months? Two years?

"Juno's the beta," Percy said, and the lunatic actually smiled fondly at the little raptor.

Annabeth frowned, her eyes warily scanning the nursery, "Then who's the alpha?"

"I am," Percy snorted as if the answer were obvious.

"No, you're human."

Wrong, wrong, wrong, a voice whispered in Annabeth's head. This whole thing was wrong.

"The human alpha," Jackson continued, unbothered.

She turned to glare at him, to try and get _reason_ through that thick skull of his – and gasped when she realized what he was doing.

"What are you - ?!"

He opened the nursery, reaching his bare hand inside the raptor's space. Four pairs of cold reptilian eyes fixated on him. Juno stepped forward, at the same time Diane released Ceres to also step forward. Juno wiped around, drawing her slight body up to its full height, spreading tiny but sharp claws threateningly. Diane hissed back, extending her claws in reply. Juno jumped forward, a harsh cry tearing from her throat. Diane took a step back and Juno advanced until the little blue raptor was upon her. Diane, with obvious reluctance, lowered her head as Juno hissed, claws extended over her head. They all, humans and raptors alike, watched as Juno stood suspended over Diane. She cocked her head and chittered. Diane crooned lowly. Satisfied that her dominance had been accepted, Juno turned back to Percy's extended hand.

Jackson did not seem surprised or even concerned by this little display. Instead, he patiently waited as Juno strutted over to him, crooning. The blue raptor butted her head against his fingers and Jackson scratched under her chin before scooping her up.

"Jackson." Annabeth meant to shout, to startle the insane man back into some form of sanity, but it came out as a strangled, breathless hiss. He shot her a dark look, clearly a _shut up I know what I'm doing_ look.

Crazy Jackson lifted the raptor out of the nursery and cradled her against his chest. Juno butted her head against Jackson's chest, her little jaws and teeth horrifyingly close to his fragile, breakable skin. He cradled her right over his heart and the tiny reptilian head, with beady calculating eyes, rested against him.

Movement caught Annabeth's eye and she turned to find Ethan waiting outside the room, his one eye wide as it fell one her.

"He doesn't really like it when other people are in the room when the raptors are out," Percy said conversationally. "He says it'll just confuse them."

Juno's front claw, her sickle claw genetically bestowed upon her by Mother Nature in a harsh and prehistorical time when giants rules the land and so horrifyingly restored by the scientists just down the hall, twitched. It tore a little hole in Jackson's shirt.

"Does he?" The words were barely a whisper but Juno's eyes were on her in a second.

There was no sound, no growl or snarl or even hissing but somehow the silence was worse. Cold little eyes trained on her. Every instinct in Annabeth's body told her to run, to get as far away from this monstrosity as possible because it was bad. It was bad and powerful and an apex predator and she was tiny, unprotected prey. How Jackson could hold her without fear was beyond Annabeth. The man was crazy.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Annabeth said, keeping eye contact with Juno as she started to back up. _Don't show any fear, they can sense it_. Annabeth was afraid because she was a rational and practical human being, but she would be damned before she let either beta or alpha know that.

The sterile doors behind her opened with a soft hiss and suddenly she was back in the hallway, the door sliding shut and cutting off Juno's cold gaze.

"It's important for them to hear his heartbeat," Ethan supplied immediately when she turned her eyes to him. "To affirm his role as alpha. He was there when all four eggs hatched and they all imprinted on him, but we have to keep that Alpha bond strong while they're still small or they'll never respond to him."

Annabeth nodded clinically. Logically that made sense. It was crazy, everything about this idea was crazy, but at least there was a method to the madness. She was suddenly immensely grateful for the scientist beside her and she offered him a rare smile. Ethan seemed surprised and an awkward half-smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah, so. The hatchlings are healthy, as far as we can tell. All their levels seem to be consistent with projection although they aren't growing as fast as we expected them too. Their claws and teeth, of course, are fully functional despite their size. They enjoy tearing into their meals, but they won't be ready to hunt for several weeks, although we will have simulating training just like a real Alpha would for hatchings in the natural world."

"Where's the other one, the assistant?" Annabeth asked. "Underwood?"

"Lunch break, we take turns since the hatchlings are too young to be left alone. They don't like it when Percy's gone, which is a good sign. But, Grover's at lunch right now and should be back in about twenty minutes. He's actually really helpful; he makes sure Jackson doesn't burn himself out or do anything stupid."

There was that damn word again. She didn't want anything 'stupid' happening around these raptors. She rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on.

"But everything's gone really well so far," Ethan hastily said, sounding concerned. "Better than we ever expected, Jackson really knows his way with these animals."

"Great," Annabeth said shortly. "That's good Ethan. Really good. I'm not mad at you. Just…frustrated in general."

The man nodded.

"Keep me posted," Annabeth sighed, turning around to leave and resisting the urge to peer through the glass at the suicidal man cradling one of Mother Nature's greatest killing machine.

"Always," Ethan called after her before the doors slide shut with a soft mechanical hiss.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey Nico! You look good, I mean not exactly tan but you don't look paler than death anymore," Percy greeted his younger cousin, who Percy and Thalia forcibly adopted as their little brother some years ago. "Find any cute boys to have a hot summer fling with?"

Nico was one year removed from high school but only now heading off to college because his dad was an overprotective motherhen and the only one of the Olympian brothers who didn't turn out to be a total failure as a father (although, with the competition, that really wasn't saying much). Nico was a shade darker than the last time Percy saw him, which, true to his words, meant he no longer looked like death warmed over but rather like he was just on the brink of death. Progress, slow depressing progress. Percy wanted to reach through the screen and hug the guy, but his cousin, who was sputtering with a dark flush spreading over his cheeks, probably wouldn't be very receptive even if he could.

 

"God, _no._ Why do you always ask that? What makes you think the answer will be anything other than 'no' or that I'd actually tell you if I did? Cute, why do you have to say _cute?_ Why can't you asked if I've met any handsome boys or nice boys," Nico groaned, burying his face in the sleeves of his too large sweatshirt.

Percy hummed thoughtfully, munching on the trail mix he stole from Grover earlier (it had gross things like raisins and yogurt drops in it and Percy was half convinced Grover left it out for Percy to swipe so he could get some 'healthy' food but whatever). He popped one of the gross yogurt drop in his mouth, rolling the tart ball around on his tongue as it started to dissolve, watching the blush spread all the way to Nico's ears as his cousin tried to bury his head further into his excessively large sweatshirt.

"You never protest this much," Percy said mildly, swallowing and fishing out another yogurt drop because hey those were actually kind of good. "Careful Nico, I might get the wrong idea and think you've met someone."

He threw the yogurt drop in the air, catching it effortlessly in his mouth like a pro and turned to grin at the image of his cousin shimmering on the computer precariously balanced on his lap. Nico clenched his fingers in his hair, giving a weak chuckle. Percy froze mid-chew.

"No," he said, blinking at Nico. "No way."

"It's not like that – " Nico tried to deny but those words just damned him as Percy burst into laughter.

"You _did,_ " Percy said gleefully, setting his trail mix aside to give this conversation his full attention. He dragged the computer closer, grinning broadly. "You _met_ someone. Details, Nico, give me details. Is it your roommate? A guy in your dorm? A cute barista - is that gender neutral term? Are guys called baristas too or what? You know what, it doesn't matter. What's his name?"

"You suck," Nico complained, but he unburied his face and Percy got the feeling that Nico was secretly pleased. Like he wanted Percy to figure it out. Which, actually was really possible. It wasn't like Percy was any good at the whole dating/who likes who thing, he needed hints.

"Name," Percy pressed. "I need to know the guy's name if I'm going to threaten him."

"Threaten?" Nico repeated, his brow furrowing. "What, why - ?"

"To make sure he's good enough for you, which I doubt." Percy cheerfully told Nico, who frowned because the kid had absolutely zero self-worth and couldn't understand why any guy would be _lucky_ to date him. Okay, so maybe Percy was a little bias, sue him. Nobody deserved Thalia either, not that she wanted anyone. "And make sure he knows that if he breaks your heart I'll break him."

Nico looked torn between being indignant on mystery boy's behalf and pleased with Percy's aggressive protection.

"He wouldn't do that," Nico objected. "He's not like that. But that's not why I called!"

Nico's voice raised at the end, cutting off Percy who was trying to interject.

"You won't believe what Dad told me," Nico's eyes gleamed dangerously and Percy really wished they could go back to talking about Nico's not-yet boyfriend. Nico had a surprisingly scary glare; it was all broody and dark and despite his youth could scare the pants off full grown men.

"Well, gee, Nics," Percy tried only to be cut off.

"He told me that your new job at Jurassic World involved _velociraptors._ Which is ridiculous, because velociraptors are one of nature's deadliest killers and _you're_ a marine biologist who's done some stupid stuff but you would never do something _that stupid."_

Percy swallowed nervously.

" _Dammit Percy velociraptors?!"_

"Wow I honestly expected the third degree from Thalia, but you're managing to outdo her," Percy said, mildly impressed. Nico looked murderous.

"If the raptors don't kill you, I will," Nico promised darkly.

"Well, you're already got my eulogy written," Percy pointed out.

"Dammit Percy will you take this seriously?" Nico demanded, his eyes flashing.

"I am," Percy honestly replied, shrugging. "I've had almost six weeks to get used to the idea. Trust me, Nico, anything you're thinking I considered weeks ago. Believe it or not, I didn't just jump into this. Okay, I might have jumped, but it wasn't blind jumping. More like, bungee jumping. Besides, nobody here really knows what they're doing. Everything is just guesswork. We _think_ we know about the dinosaurs, but all we know is from studying bones thousands of years old. The real deal is very different. So yeah, they gave me a little crash course in velociraptors but really they don't know any more about the real creatures than I do. And I can forward you all the safety procedures if you want; Thalia's already read through them."

Nico's jaw twitched a little. He knew he was picking a losing fight if Thalia agreed with Percy. Not that either of them would have been able to convince Percy to leave, but the stress of having both of his cousins angry with him might have been enough to get him to think twice.

"Just, just be _careful_ dammit," Nico grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back in his uncomfortable looking dorm chair. "I haven't perfected your eulogy yet. I need some time."

Percy nodded solemnly. "Of course," he agreed amiably, "I can't die, you'd miss me too much."

He flashed Nico a smug grin as the younger boy huffed.

"God, you're such an ass. I think I could finish that eulogy tonight."

"You love me," Percy scoffed. "Here, let me tell you about my vicious little girls."

Nico made a disbelieving face. "Your _girls?"_

"My _vicious_ little girls," Percy placated before launching into a detailed and excited description of his girls.

 

* * *

 

At four weeks old, Percy's girls were too big and restless for the nursery anymore. Standing at almost double their birth height, they no longer were small enough to fit in the palm of his hand…and their claws were too sharp for him to want them to. Still, they weren't exactly big yet either, only about the size of a housecat. The girls were transferred from their indoor nursery to an outdoor one – to get them acclimated to the real world, soil beneath their claws as opposed to straw, and real sunlight on their scaly faces.

None of them liked it.

Diane screeched bloody murder and sank her claws into the ground, dirt and grass flying into the air as she fiercely attacked. Minerva was more collected in her approach. She prowled the small enclosure, hissing softly. Her eyes darted lightning fast, from the lightly buzzing electric fence (set low as to dissuade the baby raptors but not actually harm them), to the sky, to the tufts of grass Diane threw. Ceres trilled softly, her jaw grinding together as she pressed herself flush against Percy's leg, managing to look both pissed off and frightened. Percy had to physically restrain himself from reaching down and petting her on the head. Her teeth were too sharp now, he would risk losing a finger if they got anywhere near her razor sharp mouth.

"It's okay girls," Percy soothed, his voice low and calm.

In the middle of the cage, Juno stood perfectly still. Her eyes slowly and methodically panned across the outdoor nursery. Black eyes carefully cataloged every corner of the enclosure, claws extended but unmoving. Surveying. Preparing.

Beautiful.

 _They're dangerous killers,_ a voice that sounded irritatingly like the park manager, Annabeth Chase, echoed in his mind.

 _Of course they are,_ Percy mentally scoffed, irritated at Chase, at the scientists who never dared even step in the same room as the creatures they created, at the fearful and wary nursery workers who gave him a wide berth. They were animals, apex predators, born to hunt and kill. But they were also graceful and beautiful, intelligent and cunning creatures that deserved all the respect in the world.

"Juno," Percy called softly, disturbing the raptor's careful exploration. Juno turned her head enough to stare at him.

"Good girl," he crooned softly and she chittered back at him, looking smug and pleased.

She calmed, her small, lithe body relaxing at her alpha's gentle call. Percy wondered, sadly, how long that would last. How long before Juno realized her alpha wasn't that big and _definitely_ wasn't all that strong. Not strong enough to withstand sickle claws and a mouthful of wicked teeth, soft skin easily torn and bones broken. Percy wasn't keen on finding out. He knew he couldn't stay in the cage with them forever, but he wonder how much respect they would keep for him once he was on the outside.

"Let's hope, with full bellies and warm scales, you'll still love me," Percy rumbled softly, and Ceres chittered nonsense from around his ankles. He smiled at her, gently nudging her with his foot.

"Go on, you big baby, aren't you supposed to be a big bad predator? Come on, the triceratops babies in the paddock one over are laughing at you – do you know what that'll do to our reputation?"

Ceres had no idea what he was saying of course but seemed to get the gist of things from his little nudge. She shot him an affronted look, nipping lightly at his pants. Percy held himself very still and valiantly refrained from flinching. The last four weeks had taught him better. Besides, by the insistence of Ethan and Grover and a terrifying phone call from Thalia, he wore protective gear under his clothes. It was some lightweight modern day chainmail - which is to say denim infused with some sort of metal. Not that it helped much, but it would stop a claw or tooth from completely tearing his flesh off and that was something.

Ceres' teeth didn't even touch the underlayer, just added a couple holes to his poor pants before the raptor crouched low and slunk over to Minerva's side.

"They're doing surprisingly well," Ethan called when Percy walked over to the fence where the scientist and Grover hovered just outside. "It'll take some getting used to."

Percy nodded, showing he understood, as Ethan clasped his hands behind his back. He looked more than a little strange and uncomfortable under the glaring sun. He seemed unnaturally white and sterile, his lap coat lightly billowing behind him as it attempted to blind them all, as if this were the first time Ethan ever stepped outside the artificial fluorescent lights of the lab. He squinted his good eye to focus on Percy's face.

"Give them a few days to adjust and then we'll transfer them over to their final paddock. Beckendorf promised to give you a tour later." Ethan continued.

"Give us?" Percy pressed. Ethan's eye flicker over to Grover, who was happily munching on some vegan wrap he nabbed from the vendor outside the nursery.

"I meant you to include Grover as well," Ethan assured him dryly.

"And I meant 'us' to include Grover and you," Percy easily replied. "You're our resident velociraptor expert. You don't get to just wash your hands of us because we leave the nursery. Nu-uh, you're stuck with us, buddy."

Ethan's face twisted a little, and Percy just knew he was fighting back a smile. Percy had learned a lot of things since he stepped foot on Isla Nublar, about dinosaurs and velociraptor's specifically, about genetic modification and scientific resurrection, but also that the strange yet brilliant scientist Ethan Nakaruma was nowhere near the recluse he pretended to be. Ethan was unhappy, and perhaps even lonely. In the first weeks, he seemed scornful whenever Grover and Percy laughed and teased each other, but Percy noticed as they walked away that the scientist would scowl at the ground, upset and angry and…lonely.

So Percy tried to, if not befriend, then at least make the man feel included. He invited him to join Grover and him for lunch sometimes and even tried to introduce him to the others (which ended with Ethan all but fleeing but hey it was a work in progress).

"You're going if I have to drag you kicking and screaming," Percy declared.

Ethan spared a glance at Grover, who shrugged as he took another bite of his gross lunch.

"He will," Grover confirmed.

"Don't turn your back to the cage," Ethan told Percy instead of responding, but his voice lacked any real reproach and might actually be considered almost fond.

"I'm inside the cage, kind of hard to turn my back on it, and besides I know where all the girls are," Percy said. "I've got them all in the corner of my eye, I'm not an idiot."

He turned to fondly survey the leery girls. Diane has stopped tormenting the ground and turned her violence towards Ceres instead and the pair tumbled across the much larger nursery in a pile of scales and shrieks. Minerva sat, still as a statue, her eyes trained on a lizard on the other side of the fence. Juno proudly prowled the edge of the new enclosure, put to ease by the continued gentle sound of her alpha's voice as she explored her new world.

"I want to completely map out their new paddock before we move them in," he said, addressing both Ethan and Grover. "To start organizing training exercises and whatnots. The girls have so much pent up energy, especially Diane. I'm thinking about exercises like running and tracking, so we can eventually introduce them to live prey. I think it should help."

"Sounds good," Ethan seemed pleased and impressed.

"You know, despite what Ms. Annabeth Chase may think, I'm not an idiot," Percy complained, crossing his arms and leaning closer to the fence to properly huff at the scientist.

But he leaned a little too far and gave a startled yelp as his shoulder brushed against the fence. Percy's limbs jerked and twitched of their own accord without his consent, arms flailing and legs buckling as he unceremoniously fell into the dirt. His teeth clattered unpleasantly, the sharp tang of copper and blood potent on his tongue. Percy knew he was swearing like the sailor he sometimes was as the electricity ran its course. Voices reached his ears, muffled and distant.

"I'm okay."

His voice sounded funny.

Percy cleared his throat, prying his eyes open (when did they close?). Grover's hand was on the cage door, Ethan at his elbow and it looked like the scientist was the only thing that stopped his frantic friend from rushing into the enclosure. Percy opened his mouth to assure them again that he was fine, really, when he realized the cause of their concern was not his little electrocution but rather the four hissing hatchlings that surrounded him.

Juno was pressed against his side, alarmingly close to his splayed and delicate fingers, her claws extended and feathers flared in alarm. She snarled threateningly at the men standing by the door, her jaw wide and snapping. Diane and Minerva copied her posture at his feet, curling protectively around his ankles. Most alarming of all, however, was Ceres, who hopped directly onto Percy's lap, her feet planted firmly on his obnoxiously orange shirt (a remnant of a summer camp he used to work at between semesters at college). She held herself threateningly, feathers ruffled.

"It's okay," Percy repeated carefully, painfully aware of his erratic heartbeat which the girls could undoubtedly hear pressed up against his skin as they were. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, willing his heart to calm.

"It's okay."

Ceres chittered, reptilian eyes meeting his own. She was so close, less than a foot from his exposed face and neck. The claws that only two weeks ago were as flimsy and dangerous as a kitten's now were formidable weapons, tapping in the wind. Percy swallowed but forced a smile, breathing evenly and calmly as he willed himself to relax.

"Good girls," he cooed softly. "My wonderful girls, protecting your stupid alpha huh? Yes, good girls. But we can calm down now, I'm okay. Everything is okay."

Juno relaxed at his constant stream of babble, her feathers settling and claws dropping. Her sisters relaxed as Juno did, turning their heads and chittering softly.

"Alright, I'm going to stand up now," he said, the words meant for Ethan and Grover, hovering anxiously just outside the door, and the sound to further soothe the girls. He slowly drew his hand away from Juno, pulling his legs up and away from Minerva and Diane. But Ceres poised the real problem.

"Come on Ceres," he called gently as if talking to a child. "I gotta get up now."

He wiggled his leg, disturbing her perch on top of him. Ceres gave an affronted shriek and, instead of sinking her claws into him like he feared, she leapt off to tumble into Juno's side. As Juno snarled in fury, Percy quickly got to his feet, mindful of the little raptors around him.

The girls were still hissing, low and dangerous. Percy took a step towards the gate and the hissing grew louder, Diane actually gave a little shriek, and four lethal prehistoric predators pressed against his legs. Juno seemed to glare up at him, her black eyes clearly telling him that they weren't letting him go anytime soon. Percy glanced up at his friends. Grover's hand was still on the cage door, his jaw clenched and trembling slightly but looking like he was one second away from opening it and running to Percy's side.

"It's okay, Grover, I'm okay," Percy tried to assure him.

Grover didn't look very moved by his eloquent speech, his fingers tightening on the handle, and by the hissing from Percy's ankles he knew the girls would _not_ appreciate it if his best friend invaded their territory so he quickly went on, "They're just ah – they didn't attack me? Why didn't they attack me?"

"Because you're the alpha," Ethan simply replied.

"But I was on the ground, hurt, weak – "

Grover made a noise at this and Percy made a sympathetic face at him. Grover glared back, his eyes clearly telling Percy that he was an _idiot,_ good lord man how are you still alive.

"You didn't let me finish," Ethan said, watching Juno butt her head against Percy's leg. Which actually kind of hurt, she had a thick skull and powerful muscles even for a four week old. "You're the alpha and they're only hatchings. They know they can't survive on their own. They need someone to teach them and look after them, so in order to survive to adulthood they need you. Make no mistake, once they reach full size they _won't_ need you anymore and at any sign of weakness then…"

" _Then_ they'll kill me," Percy filled in, gently nudging Juno back with his foot because it seemed like the little blue raptor was waiting for something. She chittered softly, but pressed closer to him, like a child seeking comfort.

"No," Grover said shortly.

"No what?" Percy objected, "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking how cute they are and _no Percy._ They're dangerous killing machines."

"They're _cute_ dangerous killing machines. Oh don't give me that look, you never complained this much when I kissed Hera." After a moment of consideration, he added, "The shark not my aunt, who honestly is probably more dangerous."

Grover grumbled, but whatever else he was going to say was neatly cut off by Ethan, "You won't be allowed in the paddock when they're full grown though, so we shouldn't have to worry about it."

"He better not be," Grover muttered, finally letting go of the cage door and crossing his arms. "You made me drop my lunch."

"I'm sorry that me getting electrocuted and almost eaten alive made you drop your lunch. So glad you've got your priorities straight buddy."

"I do," Grover agreed, his worry fading enough to tease back. "But I know how to get you back. I'll just add this little incident to my weekly report of the stupid stunts you pull for Thalia and Nico."

"Wait, what?" Percy panicked as Grover grinned. "You send them reports? Wait – no don't walk away from me Grover! What do you tell them? Grover, what do you – ? You don't have to tell them about this! Nothing happened – "

"I thought you got electrocuted and almost eaten alive," Grover innocently called, still walking away, the jerk.

"Aw, come on now G-man, we don't have to tell Thalia and Nico," Percy all but whined, trying to take a step forward. Diane nipped at his shoe in displeasure and her sharp teeth bounced off the mandatory steel-toed boots he wore.

"You're going to be stuck in there for a while," Ethan smirked. "I doubt they'll let you go anytime soon. They've got to protect their stupid alpha."

"Come on Ethan, I need to get a new lunch and make a phone call," Grover called. Ethan nodded at Percy, his hands clasped lightly behind his back as he walked away.

"Come on guys," Percy complained as Juno shrieked at his ankles. "Not cool, really not cool. Grover! Thalia will kill me!"

Grover's laughter and a faint, "serves you right" was all he got in response.

He scowled at the four little raptors clinging to his legs before shouting, "At least bring me something to eat!"


	7. Chapter 7

As she took several deep, calming breaths through her nose, Annabeth wondered how wrong it would be to call Thalia and demand she return to the island. Annabeth knew she could be very convincing when she wanted to be. The Olympian family problems couldn't be _that_ bad, long lost brother none withstanding. Not compared to this at least.

Annabeth watched the bushes rustled below, her body automatically tensing and holding her breath as a slick nose poked out.

"Yeah I see you, Ceres, you can't hide from me," Jackson's voice huffed, sounding almost amused. His words were followed by three sharp clicks of an honest to god dog clicker the man held over his head. Training _velociraptors_ with a _dog clicker,_ as if she hadn't thought he was crazy enough before.

"Eyes on me," he commanded. "Ceres, you suck at blending in, I can see you. Get your scaly self over here."

The bush rustled some more and the raptor emerged, her jaw unhinged slightly in a grotesque display of a twisted smile. The raptor cooed softly, but Jackson shook his head and gave three more clicks.

"Nu-uh, you don't get to cute your way out of this. Get in line with your sisters."

Three more clicks and the raptor slunk forward to join her sisters, all standing with rapt attention around their crazy human alpha. It was ungodly hot today, the thermometer reading some heinous number, and Annabeth could see beads of sweat rolling down Jackson's neck. He had to be sweltering, dressed in his long pants and protective shirt the lab created for him. A worn fishing hat, of all things, sat atop his head. It was an ugly thing, tan and sun-bleached, with dozens of mini fishing lures dangling over his face. Squinting, Annabeth could make out the faded words 'Neptune's Lucky Fishing Hat' on it. A ridiculous choice of headgear, even if it did keep the sun out of his eyes.

His hair would probably be even more disorderly than usual when he took it off, coated in sweat with a serious case of hat hair. His green eyes shone brightly under the brim, an honest smile curving up on his lips as he gazed down at the little raptors. Realizing she was spending an inappropriately long time studying Jackson's eyes and lips, she forced herself to turn her gaze to the raptors. They looked nothing like the fragile helpless hatchlings they had been when she first saw them (except, not helpless, never helpless, dangerous, killers, avoid, flee, _run_ ). They almost came up to Jackson's shins now and they moved with the grace and calculation of a true predator; as if they knew what they were, knew how dangerous they could be. Juno, the blue beta, flexed her claw and Annabeth had no doubt she knew perfectly well how to use it.

"Aaand, we're moving," Jackson said, clicking three more times and the raptors followed him.

Annabeth didn't dare say anything as the four deadly shadows crept behind the man, who, thank _god_ , didn't turn his back totally on them, but walked forward while keeping his eyes trained behind. She stayed where she was, breathing as quietly and unobtrusively as she could, as Jackson led the raptors deeper into their paddock. It was the raptor's third day in their new, and final, environment. They seemed to be adjusting well. Or perhaps that was simply because it was a new place, a new area to explore, room to run. Would they grow tired of it? Did they leave the raptors enough room? Annabeth let her eyes roam around the tall, buzzing fences, berating herself. It would be fine.

Jackson appeared from the bushes ten minutes later, raptors no longer in tow. He was whistling lightly, a tuneless little cadence that matched his almost careless step. If Annabeth hadn't been watching closely, she might have made the mistake of believing Jackson was relaxed. But there was a set to his shoulders, loose but ready, one hand in his pocket and the other wrapped around that ridiculous clicker. His gait seemed careless, but each step landed firmly and steady. His eyes never stayed in one place, cataloging and watching.

He moved like a predator trying not to startle its prey. Disarming, false. She couldn't withhold a small shiver.

His face lit up when he saw her. "Annabeth! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"It's Ms. Chase," Annabeth automatically corrected and Jackson pouted. He actually pouted at her, lip jutting out and green eyes widening.

"Aw, I thought we were closer than that."

"You were wrong," Annabeth said succinctly.

"You wound me," Jackson sighed dramatically, his eyes doing a quick once over of the paddock that she almost missed as he pressed his hand to the keypad and the large cage doors gave an answering _beep_ in reply. The first set of doors opened and Jackson stepped neatly inside, punching in a code quick as lightning and the doors were closing again. He waited impatiently, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his eyes flickering from the paddock doors to the bushes to Annabeth in quick succession.

"Diane, stay," he commanded, almost offhandedly and Annabeth tensed, her eyes going to the bushes as well. They didn't move. Jackson hummed thoughtfully.

"I can't tell if she's listening to me or just being a little shit," he confessed, the first door finally closing and allowing him to turn and unlock the second set. He stepped out of the cage to stand before Annabeth, close enough now that she could see the beads of sweat rolling down his sharp jaw.

"So Ms. Annabeth Chase, what can I do for you?" He tilted his head to the side, looking for all the world like a mischievous puppy who knew he was trouble but was cute enough to get away with it. The fishing lures on his ridiculous hat dangled in front of his eyes, catching the loose strands of hair that were plastered against his forehead. He looked utterly ridiculous Annabeth told herself firmly, just ridiculous.

"I came to check on your progress." She nodded her head towards the cage. "They listen to you."

"I mean, kind of, for now," Jackson exhaled, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking over at the paddock. "When they want to."

Up close, Annabeth noticed that the writing on Jackson's hat looked handwritten, a hazardous and sloppy scrawl. And the fishing lures looked handmade. The entire hat was handmade, Annabeth realized. She wondered what the story behind it was. Did someone make it for him? Did _he_ make it?

"Explain," she asked, before she let herself get distracted.

Jackson took off the hat and ran a hand through his hair. It was, in fact, sweaty and gross but still she had to clench her fingers to resist the phantom urge to reach out and ruffle it herself. Thankfully he put the hat back on a moment later as he began to speak.

"They follow me if I ask them too. They will even stay still if I tell them too, but only if they're not hungry. We're working on hunting exercises, but they get too excited and impatient. And after so long they get bored or irritated and stop listening. They like to nip at my shoes when they feel annoyed, so that's usually when we stop."

"You're wearing the steel toed ones correct?" Annabeth immediately asked, glancing down as if to make sure he still had all his toes. Jackson chuckled, shuffling his feet as if to show that _yes_ Annabeth my feet as still intact.

"Yes, although I don't know how much longer they'll do me any good."

Annabeth frowned and examined the boots. The outer layer of the shoe was all but gone, bite marks and scratches wearing it down until the color was indeterminable.

"I'll talk to the lab, see if they came make something that protects more than just your toes and lasts longer," Annabeth said, nodding as she made a note.

"Thanks," Jackson said, sounding a little surprised. Annabeth glanced up at him with a frown.

"I don't want you here," she said bluntly. "I don't think you're qualified for this job, but then again we have no real way of knowing if anybody could be. But you're still unqualified. However, you're here and you work for me, and I, Mr. Jackson, take care of my employees. No matter what."

"I appreciate that, I think," Jackson said, his brow furrowing a little as if he couldn't make up his mind whether to be insulted or pleased. It was… well it actually kind of adorable and she needed him to stop it right now. Thankfully, his face smoothed out and he grinned down at her, "and you can call me Percy."

"We're not friends," Annabeth said automatically.

Jackson shrugged, "I'd still like you to call me Percy."

"Mr. Jackson," Annabeth stressed, because professionalism was important, dammit, and she wasn't going to let his wide grin and adorable expressions distract her. "I'll come around next week to watch a training session and see what progress we're making."

"I look forward to it," he grinned.

His smile was a little lopsided, Annabeth couldn't help but notice. One side turned up higher than the other and there was permanent crookedness to the entire thing that she refused to label as adorable. He shifted a little, his smile starting to fade, and she realized she was staring at his mouth instead of replying. She snapped her eyes back up to an acceptable level.

"Is something wrong?" Jackson asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"No," she said quickly, clearing her throat. "Have a nice day Jackson."

"Call me Percy!" He called after her rapidly retreating back.

She refused to turn around and purposely strode back to her car. She got inside the quiet serenity of the vehicle and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. She ran her fingers over the worn pad of her phone, wondering if Thalia would answer if she called.

_No, you've got this,_ Annabeth told herself firmly, tucking her phone away. _You've got this._

As she started her car, the shrill sound of her phone echoed in the small space.

"Annabeth Chase," she answered, shifting gears and backing out of the raptor zone. She pretended not to see Perc – _Jackson_ wave at her.

"Annabeth," Connor sounded panicked, which was never a good thing. Annabeth was rigid and giving the man her full attention before he even finished stuttering her name.

"Give me a full report Stoll _now."_

All thoughts of Jackson or raptors or her pitiful best friend disappeared as Connor babbled. "Problem with the pachycephalosaurus' invisible fence. One of the pachy – pachyc – one of the _dinosaurs_ short-circuited its chip and escaped into the surrounding area. And since the chip, you know aside from keeping them inside the fence, also doubled as a tracking device we don't know where it is - "

Annabeth pulled up a mental image of the pachycephalosaurus' valley. Dammit, she _knew_ the invisible fences were a bad idea. Pachycephalosaurus males butted their great boney heads together during mating session with several hundred tons of force, no chip could withstand that kind of pressure. This was the third time one of them had malfunctioned. She would have to see if the device could be moved to another part of the body or else be forced to have regular fences put back up.

"Prep ACU, I want a team out there _now._ Non-lethals. Move us to code yellow, send a message out to all workers to stay inside the park. Employees in the surrounding area are to stay inside until the pachycephalosaurus is contained. Make sure to tell people not to panic, it's a herbivore, but not to approach under any circumstances. Pachycephalosaurus are aggressive during mating season."

"Right, right," Annabeth could her Connor scrambling to comply with her rapid orders. Annabeth wasn't worried – Connor may be a trickster but there was a reason he was in control. Annabeth trusted him, he wouldn't have gotten the job any other way.

"Tell ACU I'll met them at the first checkpoint," Annabeth said.

"At the first – wait where are you? Are you in the restricted area?"

"Yes, at the raptor paddock, the pachycephalosaurus' won't come anywhere near here."

"Oh, okay. Tell Percy I said 'hi'."

Annabeth frowned. She didn't know that Connor knew Jackson. They worked nowhere near each other, hell Jackson didn't even _live_ in the employee apartments but on the other side of the entire island! She scowled, grateful Connor wouldn't see it.

"There's a pachycephalosaurus on the loose and you want me to stop and say hi to Jackson for you?" Annabeth demanded, turning the car sharply down the winding road. She could hear Connor typing furiously in the background, sending her memos out and readying the ACU team like the swift and efficient worker he pretended not to be.

"Well it would be rude not to Ms. Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth couldn't help but smile at that, shaking her head. "Just get my ACU team here Mr. Connor Stoll."

"Your wish is my command," Connor promised and the line clicked off.

ACU arrived at the checkpoint ten minutes after Annabeth. The large gray van came to a silent halt (specifically engineered to make as little noise as possible as not to frighten the animals) and a large woman lumbered out, a non-lethal rifle slung over her shoulder. She glanced around, one muscular arm coming up to shield her eyes. Clarisse la Rue spat in the dust before lowering her arm and ambling over to Annabeth.

"We've got this Princess," Clarisse, chief of the search and rescue division of ACU, grunted. Her stringy brown hair had recently been cut, Annabeth noticed, and the previously shoulder length mess was…artfully cut and styled. Annabeth remembered seeing Clarisse with Silena and wondered if this was the price of Silena's friendship – a slow and gradual integration of style and fashion into one's life. That was a terrifying thought, especially if she managed to sink her claws into Clarisse.

"A pachycephalosaurus is worth seven hundred thousand dollars Clarisse," Annabeth reminded her. "Be gentle. Did you bring a vet?"

"Be gentle," Clarisse scornfully repeated. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll be gentle with the rampaging dinosaur. Vet's in the back. Now step back, Princess, some of us have real work to do."

Annabeth did, in fact, take a step back as Clarisse's crew stepped out of the van and geared up. While she may be crude and bit rough around the edges, Clarisse was the best and Annabeth knew she would get the pachycephalosaurus back safe and sound. The back of the van opened and a man walked out, calm and unhurried unlike the ACU members under Clarisse's firm control. It was the promised vet, Chris Rodriguez. He smiled at her and Annabeth gave him a small smile in return, watching the team quickly assemble and turning to remind Clarisse;

"Don't forget pachycephalosaurus will lower their heads before they ram something, so steer clear if you get any sign of aggression. Don't get close until you _know_ he's down. I don't want any injuries today."

"Yes mother," Clarisse mumbled rolling her eyes.

From his place leaning against the van, Chris chuckled. When Annabeth glanced at him, Chris smiled and winked before calling out, "She'll be careful, won't you Clarisse? For me?"

Clarisse's face turned an interesting shade of red and Annabeth turned her eyes heavenward, wondering what it is was about her that made her employees share intimate and personal information and wondering how to make it stop. Or how to make herself want to make it stop.

"Be careful," Annabeth entreated, turning her gaze back to the ACU team.

"Give us an hour," Clarisse grunted.

It took Clarisse's team forty-five minutes to find and contain the pachycephalosaurus. Chris checked him over and gave him a clean bill of health, but the chip implanted in his head was shot to hell. Useless. So Annabeth spent the next five hours dedicated to the problem of the invisible fences. This was unacceptable. One day, a pachycephalosaurus would escape its valley and wander into the park instead of the restricted area and that was a headache she hoped to avoid. They had an image to uphold, and rampaging dinosaurs reminded people too much of the old Jurassic Park and that was unacceptable as well.

But of course, like most things in Annabeth's life, there was no easy fix. They couldn't just throw up hundreds of feet of electric fence up overnight. And even if they could, it posed a viewing problem; guest wouldn't be able to see the dinosaurs clearly anymore. Which meant they would have to create a viewing deck, but the pachycephalosaurus valley was so large that there was no guarantee that the guest would see one then. So, viewing deck wasn't an option. She could introduce gyrospheres to the valley, but they would have to reinforce the glass to withstand a rampaging pachycephalosaurus which would take a considerate amount of time and then at least part of the valley would have to be closed, not to the mention the cost of creating more gyrospheres. But all of that was irrelevant because any solution was still months away and she now had to keep a closer eye on the pachycephalosaurus valley.

Nine hours later, Annabeth fled her office as the walls started closing in on her and turned her phone on silent to avoid the never ending stream of contractors, investors, and accountants trying to weigh in on the pachycephalosaurus problem. She took solace in the small coffee shop outside the mosasaurus theater to sip on a coffee in peace and go over the thick stack of papers that had accumulated in such a short amount of time. She straighten the stack and peered at the first document.

It was a budgetary document, right from one of Olympian's many accountants on how much money the park had and what they currently used. Annabeth sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Time to get to work then.

Maybe she should get a coffee first. Shuffling the papers in her arms, Annabeth stood up and walked towards the counter. The person in front of her was laughing with the barista and there was something familiar about that laugh but Annabeth wasn't really paying attention – until he turned around and collided sharply with her.

"Hey – " was all Annabeth managed to get out before her brain caught up with the moment and _goddammit ow ow ow._ The coffee the man once held now ran down her arm and across the papers she neatly organized not only twenty minutes ago.

"Shit, oh my god, Annabeth I'm so sorry, here, oh that's got to hurt."

The universe hated her, Annabeth decided as she realized the man was none other than Percy Jackson, babbling as he tried to help her. Annabeth gritted her teeth and stepped neatly out of reach of his not evenly remotely helpful hands, as if her arms didn't sting from the coffee. Honestly, it wasn't even that hot. It stung a little, but it certainly didn't burn. She was more concerned about the now ruined papers.

Jackson's face was pinched and he stepped into her space even as she tried to step out of it.

"That was hot coffee, do you want me to – do you need - ?"

"Leave," Annabeth hissed, glaring at him. Jackson stopped in his tracks, blinking those ridiculously handsome green eyes at her.

"But your arms – "

"My arms are fine," Annabeth snapped, flicking lingering coffee off them and at his face. "It's the documents you just _ruined_ that should be your concern. No, you know what, just shut up." Jackson closed his mouth with a snap. "Just _leave,_ okay, just go."

"Are you sure you're oka – "

" _Now."_

With one last aborted look at her, Jackson ducked his head and fled. Annabeth stood in the middle of the shop, seeing red as lukewarm coffee dripped down her arm, staining her new blouse, her freshly dry cleaned pants, to drip on the precious paperwork she dropped in her surprise. Ruined, all ruined. She would have to make more copies, reorganized it all again. It took her two hours the first time.

"Ms. Chase?"

Annabeth calmly knelt down and began gathering the ruined papers.

"Ms. Chase, are you alright? Do you need something for your arms?"

"I'm fine," Annabeth said shortly as the concerned barista tentatively approached her, her voice steady and calm unlike the storm that raged in her breast. "Get me the largest coffee you have, two creams one sugar please."

Her calmness seemed to frighten the barista more than shouting. She ducked behind the counter and let Annabeth meticulously clean up the mess Jackson left behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Annabeth was pissed – and that might be putting it lightly. The operations manager of Jurassic World wouldn't as much as look in Percy's direction. Any communication between the pair was done strictly through email or via Ethan.

"How are her arms?" Percy asked immediately after the accident. Ethan frowned at him, looking confused as the marine biologist turned raptor trainer anxiously grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to answer that."

"I spilled hot coffee on her bare arm," Percy groaned, releasing Ethan to press his hands against his eyes in distress. "Please just tell me it didn't burn her."

"Oh, is that why she's pissed?" Ethan asked sagely. Percy glared at him and the scientist tilted his head as he answered. "She wore a sleeveless blouse today and her arms looked perfectly normal. No sign of burning or scalding of any kind. You didn't burn her. It probably just stung is all."

"Thank God," Percy breathed.

"But she's still pissed," Ethan said.

"How long do you think that'll last?" Percy asked with a frown and the sympathetic look he got in return did not bode well for him.

So Percy and Annabeth's (Ms. Chase, he thought bitterly) interactions were reduced to a few words from Ethan and a series of short, impersonal emails. Percy slouched in his chair, staring at the laptop open on knees.

_Ms. Chase,_

_I have attached a video of yesterday's training exercises, which went as well as could be expected I guess. Ceres is still a little shit. Diane is the violent one in the last half of the session – we're working on that. Minerva is learning quickest of all, but Juno is the clear leader. Or I guess beta. She retains a lot of what I teach her, whereas Minerva just picks it up quickly to almost forget it the next day. They're still growing, their tails are getting super long. Kinda hurts when they whack you with them. They're just about shin height now and shedding their features which Ethan says isn't actually weird but expected? They apparently are downy features or something and new ones should grow in later. Yeah. That's all I got._

Percy stared at the computer.

 _I'm really sorry about the coffee_ , he typed out, only to scowl and delete it a second later.

 _I hope your arms are okay_ – delete.

_Can't we just pretend the coffee never happened?_

_I don't want to fight._

_Can't we just be friends?_

_Why do you hate me?_

_I'm sorry._

He deleted all those too, adding his name to the bottom of the email and clicking the send button before he could change his mind and write something truly embarrassing. He rubbed his head, staring at the ' _message_ _sent_ ' that flashed across his screen. He needed to get out. He would go see Grover in his fancy Jurassic World employee apartment that was actually really nice and almost made him wish he chose one instead. Almost. It still didn't have the ocean.

He hopped into his special employee car (god his uncle spoiled his workers why hadn't Percy done this years ago?), taking a moment to appreciate the purr of the gentle engine before heading into the park. The route back to civilization, as Grover liked to call it (which was completely ridiculous, he lived ten minutes from the park in the middle of an artificial forest on an island dedicated to resurrected giants, Grover get some perspective) was actually quite peaceful and relaxing.

They had yet to find a way to synthesize DNA from ancient floral, Ethan once explained; the DNA they used to for the dinosaurs was blood-based, taken from mosquitoes caught in amber. Trees and flowers didn't have blood, so there were no handy mosquitoes waiting with their DNA stored inside the irritating insects for the scientists to work with. So they improvised to the best of their abilities. Apparently the trees that towered over Percy's head, their branches extending high into the clear, cloudless sky and effectively blocking the sun's rays, rendering the land below to a world of shadows, were modified hybrids – just not of the prehistoric variety. Instead, and at this point in Ethan's speech Percy had drifted a bit so his understanding was shaky at best, the scientists combined the DNA of several different breeds of floral and synthesized plants that would appear and function more or less similarly to those that existed when the original dinosaurs roamed. Or something like that.

All Percy really knew was that they looked _awesome_.

Driving through the forest, Percy hummed a dramatic tune under his breath. The shadowy path he drove down looked exactly like how he imagined a prehistoric forest would (if you ignored the obviously unnatural road he drove down, where the tread of tires were permanently imprinted). The car was so quiet he swore he could practically hear the forest outside the car, and he pretended the buzz from the motion of the vehicle was actually from the heavy tread of a rampaging predator chasing him through the lush forest.

 _You wouldn't be so eager if you knew I was part of a velociraptor pack_ , Percy thought to the imaginary predator (T-Rex, he decided, as cliché and insensitive as that might be). Would his girls protect him? For now, Percy mused, while they were still young and excitable. Even when they were older, pack protected pack right? So as long as he was healthy and whole, they should come to his defense. So yeah, the hungry T-Rex should be wary, because Percy had a pack of vicious girls behind him.

Of course, Percy didn't want his girls to take on a T-Rex right now, they were still so tiny and small and crushable.

"Wait a few months," Percy said conversationally, looking in his review mirror as though the imaginary T-Rex was actually chasing after him and listening. "Actually, maybe a little bit longer, I'm not entirely sure when they'll be full grown. But once they are, _then_ you go ahead and try to take a bite out of me. I don't think they'll like it very much."

"I'm also pretty sure we'd win," Percy mused. "Not like, in an outright battle of strength, but the girls would confuse you enough so we'd get away and you'd be left injured and tired and still hungry. That's totally a win. Minerva's smart and Juno's cunning, you wouldn't stand a chance. Plus, I bet Diane would be vicious."

Percy grinned at the thought.

"You wouldn't even see Ceres coming. Yeah, we'd totally win."

Percy blinked in surprise when he realized the car had plunged into the light, carrying him out of the forest and right up to the gate. He grinned sheepishly at the guard, who tapped her foot impatiently as he pulled out his identification and held it out to her. As she glanced it over, swiping it on the computer before her because rules were rules even if Percy was starting to learn all the guards' names (he thought this one might be Reyna?) and Ms. Chase would kill anyone with her beautiful but deadly gray eyes if they didn't comply, he noticed Reyna was giving him an odd look. That's when he realized he was still humming his dramatic theme music.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and gave the guard a winning smile.

"I was thinking about leaving this joint and starting a music career what do you think?"

Reyna's lips twitched, "I think you should stick with the raptors."

"Rude, see if I give you any free tickets when I become rich and famous," Percy mock huffed, taking his card back. Reyna outright laughed, waving over her shoulder so the guard behind her could open the gate.

"And I shall be forever sorrowful," Reyna quipped. "Now get going, you're holding up the line."

"Oh yes, because so many people live in the restricted area," Percy snorted, tucking his card away and idling forward. "Have a good day Reyna I know you secretly enjoyed my humming!"

Her laughter followed him as he drove into the park, a smile on his face. The rest of the drive to Grover's was uneventful. The park was closed on Sundays, the only day of the week when the park itself was closed but all the non-dinosaur related things on the island were still in full operation so he avoided the commercial center and pulled in behind the apartment complexes. He knocked on Grover's apartment door to the tune of _Jaws_ , which, in addition to being terribly out of rhythm, wasn't nearly as funny as it was back when they worked for Oceanus' Quest. He bounced on his heels, waiting impatiently.

He heard some grumbling and the sound of Grover tripping over something before the door cracked open.

"Hey G-man," Percy said, his enthusiastic greeting tampering in surprise as Grover opened the door only enough to stick his face out. His rather red face.

"Ahh, oh hi Perce – I was – actually, you know, um," Grover stammered.

"Use your words," Percy suggested. "Remember those nifty English classes we took in college? Well, the nifty English classes that I slept through and you dutifully took notes through. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Right," Grover stammered, chewing on his nails and looking over his shoulder. The movement pushed the door open a little more so that Percy could see the interior of the apartment. It looked exactly the same as the last time Percy saw it, except now some empty half crushed diet coke cans were spewed across the floor along with some vegan enchilada wrappers. Movement caught his eye, as it always did, and Percy focused on the computer Grover tried to move in front of.

"Are you Skyping Juniper?" Percy asked, curiosity piqued and his mouth moving before his brain processed this information. "Was that Juniper?"

Grover's face flushed even darker and the tiny but unmistakable bell-like laughter of Juniper rang out; "Yes it is, hello Percy."

"Hello Jun!" Percy called, pitching his voice a little louder so the girl could hear him as his brain finally connected the dots and he blinked at Grover. Grover, who had combed his hair and wore a clean, nice shirt.

"Is this a Skype date?" Percy whisper-asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "Are you on a Skype date?"

"Bla – ah –ah," Grover stammered.

"Wow," Percy said, impressed. "It is. Nice. Good for you G-man."

"Yeah," Grover gave him a tiny grin, "so ah?"

"Right," Percy said, his eyes widening. "I'll just…leave then. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your date. Tell Juniper I said hi, bye, whatever." Grover nodded, his curls bouncing on his head.

"Good luck pal," Percy clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a real catch."

"Again with the ocean references, don't think I didn't hear your slaughtered rendition of _Jaws_ ," Grover blustered, but he was smiling in the way that meant he was pleased.

"It was awesome and you know it, now shut up and go entertain your lady love." Grover blushed brightly again.

"And don't think you'll get out of telling me all about it later!" Percy added as his friend shut the door. He grinned to himself as he walked away, shoving his hands in his pocket.

Good for Grover, good for Juniper. They would be adorable together he was sure. He would have to call Thalia and tell her; they had been betting on who would ask who out and when since _forever_. Percy wasn't even entirely sure who had won, but Thalia would remember. His footsteps faltered as he neared his car. He only came into the park so he could see Grover and now he had no idea what he was going to do. He didn't really want to go back to his trailer, and he wasn't due to feed his girls for a few hours.

But maybe one of his new friends were free. It wouldn't hurt to check. The dinosaur petting zoo (and boy, had he laughed when he first heard that) pulled all the infants inside on Sundays for a relaxing, destressing day. As Percy peeked inside, he thought somebody must have lost the memo because this did not look like a relaxed, stress-free day. A terrible bellowing echoed through the enclosure, accompanied by wails and cries and trainers were running every which way, holding syringes, buckets of water, and God only knows what else.

"This looks like a bad time," Percy hedged as a woman tripped over her own feet. He caught her before she fell, one arm sliding around her waist and the other reaching out to steady whatever armload she was struggling with.

"Oh God, thank you," she breathed, hastily making sure she hadn't dropped anything. "We had a breakout – the edmontosaurus was supposed to be cured but apparently the virus was just lying dormant and now half of the nursery is sick and – wait, don't open that cage!"

And with that she was gone, shouting after somebody else.

"Right," Percy said to the empty air. "I'll come back later."

As it turned out, Beckendorf and Connor were wrapped up in this broken invisible fence thing (boy wasn't that a doozy, who thought _invisible fences_ were a good idea for dinosaurs?). Travis was in the gallimimus paddock, not actually working but spending time with his animals because apparently it soothed his ADHD which Percy could totally respect. Ethan had a nerdy scientific video conference with some big shots, so Percy couldn't visit him either. Instead, he stood in the middle of the park, right outside the fateful coffee shop he had the supreme misfortune of spilling coffee over Annabeth at, feeling very much alone and out of place.

A flash of gold caught his eye and he turned. Across the sea of people, visible even though the masses, was none other than Annabeth Chase herself. She was talking on the phone, a tablet in her hand that her fingers rapidly danced over, a folder tucked under one arm, and coffee precariously balanced somewhere in between. She looked fierce, unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with.

And because his luck monumentally sucked, she paused and met his gaze. Percy could have sworn time slowed down in that moment, her lips turning down ever so slightly as her fingers froze. Her eyes narrowed minutely and he could practically hear the calculations running through her brain. What was he doing here, what could he mess up this time? He let the corners of his mouth sag, his eyes wide and pleading; _I'm sorry._

She wasn't having any of it. Her eyes narrowed, lips thinning. _Stay out of my way._

Just as abruptly as it arrived, the moment ended. Annabeth looked away, her attention already recaptured by her tablet and phone, talking and tapping away a mile a minute. Onto bigger and better things and letting the sea swallow the irritating and unimportant Percy Jackson up.

Percy didn't feel much like staying in the park anymore. He pushed and shoved his way back to his car, Annabeth's eyes burning in his memory.

"Stupid," he muttered to himself, banging his head against the steering wheel as he climbed into his car. "Why must you always mess everything up?"

He clicked his seatbelt into place and then just sat there, brooding. His eyes fell on his cell phone, balancing, forgotten on the dash. He picked it up, flipping it open and ignoring the three missed calls from Poseidon Olympian as he found Thalia's number. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he wasn't thinking that far ahead – he just wanted to hear a friendly voice.

"Not here, leave a message if you think I'll care, which I probably won't. If this is Percy, I swear to God if your ass is in the hospital again I'll kill you myself. Nico, stop drinking so much caffeine and get some damn sleep. You're both idiots."

Her voice message almost made Percy smile, except a faded recording wasn't what he called to hear. He hung up without leaving a message because he wasn't that pathetic and tossed the phone around, wondering how pitiful it would be if he called again. Probably too much. She'd probably think he was dying. Besides, she was off having fun adventures with her new brother…and oh, there was some jealousy he hadn't found before, hello.

He groaned, pounding his head against the wheel again. He couldn't call Nico, poor kid had midterms coming up and Percy couldn't bring him down with his older cousin's tale of woes when he had so much to worry about already.

"Alright, stop being so pathetic," Percy told himself firmly, starting the car.

The drive back to the restricted area was quiet. Reyna was gone. The quiet didn't feel so amusing anymore. Instead of heading back to his trailer, Percy made a beeline for his girls. He shut the engine off, the near silent purr of the car dissolving and plunging him into complete and utter silence. Even the birds didn't sing, frightened away by the creatures housed between the imposing metal gates beyond. Percy got out of the car, the click of his seatbelt and slam of the door damn near deafening. Neither sounds attracted his girls. The bushes in the paddock remained still, but Percy wasn't fooled.

He swiped his ID card on the first keypad, tapping the code in when prompted. With a metallic groan, the door opened. Percy slipped inside, eyes on the deceivingly empty paddock as the door mechanically slid shut behind him. To his hyper sensitive and trained eyes, he found the slightest ruffle in the bushes. Anyone else might have mistaken it for the breeze or a trick of the light, but he knew it was caused by one of his girls.

"I see you," he said lowly, not bothering to raise his voice. They would hear him.

He reached up and nabbed his clicker where it was tucked away, humming softly to himself as the bushes rustled again. He put his hand on the final door's scanner, wrinkling his nose at the phantom tingle of the laser. Another code punched in and the light turned green, the final doors opening and he stepped into the cage. He wasn't alone, hidden raptors none withstanding. Even when Grover and Ethan were gone there were round the clock guards who paced the walkways and boardwalks around the paddock, armed and ready. Non-lethals, he was told, were loaded into their primary weapons, but every guard also carried a lethal one. At their twitchy fingers and suspicious eyes, Percy wasn't entirely sure that was a good idea anymore.

Percy ignored the guards as he gave three clicks. The reaction was almost instantaneous – from the bush he watched earlier, Juno came silently sliding out. A hiss and Diane appeared from the trees, Minerva trailing behind her. The three prowled forward, every bit the ancient predators they were despite their size and age. A second later, a squawk disrupted the somber air and Ceres came rocketing from the trees, jaw unhinged in the raptor equivalent of a smile as she made a beeline for her alpha.

Diane shrieked in displeasure, causing Minerva to ruffle her feathers and hiss. Juno snapped at Ceres as she raced by, her nip catching the excited raptor on the shoulder but Ceres continued on, making sure to duck her head low as if to assure Juno that she understood the blue raptor was still the beta. None of this ultimately deterred Ceres, who barreled right into her alpha. Percy didn't even bother to withhold his grin as the raptor happily collided with his feet.

"Hey, missed you too. Slow down though next time squirt, you could lose brain cells that way. Trust me, I of all people would know."

Ceres didn't care, shaking her head as she gathered herself up and chittered up at him. Indulgently, Percy chittered back, a series of nonsense in crude imitation of his girls. Off to the side, Diane shrieked, careening forward to slam into Ceres in a fit of jealousy. Her beady eyes stared reproachfully up at Percy as she pinned Ceres to the ground. Diane chittered at him like an affronted puppy and well, violence aside, who could say no to that? Besides, she wasn't even drawing any blood from Ceres, she deserved a reward.

He chittered back, but Diane didn't even have time to preen as Minerva slammed into her and they all dissolved into a three-bodied ball of teeth and claws, all competing for Alpha's chittering. It was a nice feeling, he wasn't going to lie. Juno huffed, her jaw grinding as she haughtily strutted over to his side, disdainfully eyeing her brawling sisters.

"Oh, so you're too good for me huh?" Percy teased, even as his throat constricted, the words hitting too close to home and he had to swallow the lump of loneliness back. Juno watched her sisters, almost lazily, before those cold but beautiful reptilian eyes panned up to him. Chest puffed out, feathers ruffled, Juno chittered.

Relief slammed into Percy like a tangible thing, his heart swelling and for the first time since that damn email, he could breathe easily. He gave her a blinding smile, crouching down in the dirt. He held his hand out carefully, slowly, in full view of Juno's sharp eyes as he reached forward, until he could run his bare fingers over the broad ridge of Juno's nose. Her eyes half-closed, an almost purr coming from her throat.

"That's my girl," he whispered before chittering nonsense.

Juno preened.

"Alright, come on girls I have a surprise for you," Percy said, standing up and brushing dirt clumps out of his pants. The other three, who had been watching Percy intently and interestedly, probably disappointed they didn't get reckless petting too, came closer.

Percy led them over to one of the trees, waving up at the guard on the boardwalk above their heads (he didn't so much as crack a smile the jerk). Earlier that week, just a few days after they introduced the girls to their new paddock, he hid a treat up in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment. He thought he found it now.

"Don't think I don't see that," Percy said dryly, pointing to the claw marks that marred this tree. The entire bottom of the unfortunate tree was shredded from where tiny but deadly claws tried to make the tree yield its secret cargo.

"You remembered where I put it," Percy said. He smiled down at where Minerva critically eyed the branches. "Clever girls."

He reached into the leaves, having to stand on his tiptoes just a tiny bit to reach the bag in its secret hideaway. From inside its depths he pulled out a long, cylindrical metal object. Back in the nursery, Ethan had used a similar object to measure the bite force of the girls and it caught Percy's attention. He asked the lab to make him a slightly bigger one for the paddock. This way, he figured, the girls could have something to entertain themselves with and it measured their bite for the nerds in the lab, so win-win. Sharks liked to play with debris in the ocean from time to time, so his girls probably would like something not food related to chew on. Even big bad predators needed to have fun right? Percy hoped so.

"Now don't go fighting over it," Percy said, knowing full well that it was a lost cause. "I doubt you'd like fetch all that much, keep away looks more up your alley."

Diane shrieked in response and Percy nodded sagely, as though she had said something intelligent.

"That's what I thought, here you go, fight as you will." Percy gave the rod a little toss and it landed squarely in the middle of his girls.

Four pairs of beady eyes watched it fall and for one heartbeat nothing happened. Then, in a frenzy of teeth and claws, they were upon it.

"At least let Ceres have a chance," Percy idly interjected, leaning against the tree and smiling as Diane darted in and snatched up the rod, only to be tackled by Minerva.

None of the girls knew what to make of the shiny metal object, but alpha had given it to them and they fought valiantly to gain possession of it. Keep away indeed turned out to be the name of the game, as Juno swiped the toy and disappeared, Minerva and Diane shrieking after her. The two raptors gave chase, leaving Ceres behind. She stared at the ground in confusion, tilting her head as she chittered up at her alpha.

"Don't look at me like that, go after them," Percy laughed.

Ceres chirped before diving face first into the bushes, her tail disappearing with a swish. Percy watched the bushes rustle, laughing at the occasional shriek that arose from the forest. The guards above warily glanced down and Percy cheerfully waved at them, feeling significantly better than when he arrived. He settled against the bark of the tree, content to let the girls be as he checked his phone. Thalia hadn't called him back but Percy refused to let that bother him.

Instead, he dialed a different number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Percy?"

"Hey Mom," Percy said and any tension left over from his day faded away at the sound of his mother's voice.

"I wasn't expecting a call from you until later tonight," his mother laughed. "How's the park?"

"Pre-historic," Percy teased, unwilling to detail his depressing day. He wasn't even that lonely, just probably needy and desperate for attention. His friends had lives, and well, he had his girls. "I decided today was the right day to give the girls their little surprise."

"Did the girls like their toy?"

"I think so, if the shrieks are anything to go by," Percy held the phone up, hoping to catch one of the girl's calls. One of them did give a particularly loud shriek, but he doubted Sally could actually hear it on the other end.

"Wonderful," Sally said when he put the phone back to his ear. "You're not in the paddock are you?"

"Of course not," Percy lied smoothly, just like he used to when she called asking him if he used the cage when swimming with great whites. They both knew better, but Sally only hummed on the other line.

"I got a call today," Sally continued, letting his lie be.

"From your publisher?" Percy eagerly asked.

"No."

Percy pouted. That was so unfair. His mom was a _great_ author, publishers should be tripping over themselves to line up at her doorstep – and wait what did she just say?

"Who called you?" Percy interrupted.

"Your father," Sally patiently repeated. "He says you haven't been answering your phone, which is odd because it seems to be working fine."

"I don't want to talk to him," Percy replied sullenly, scowling at the sky. Dammit, he _had_ to go to Sally. "I rather thought the whole not answering my phone deal would clue him in."

"Perseus," His mother admonished, making him wince. "He worries about you, as I do. And he loves you . . ."

Percy snorted, "Yeah, okay."

"Your father loves you," Sally repeated forcefully. "That I have never doubted."

"Yeah, the guy who only occasionally showed up when I was little when he remembered we existed and didn't even mention us to his family until I was twelve has always loved me, right," Percy bitterly retorted.

"You father has made a lot of mistakes, God how I of all people know that Percy, some I can't ever forgive him for – but he's always loved you."

"Uh-huh," Percy grumbled but was saved from responding any further when a second later something hard and sharp collided with his leg. Percy yelped and almost dropped his phone.

"Dammit, that's me, watch it!" He cried, fumbling as his phone made a bid for the floor and only barely managing to save it.

Beneath him, Minerva and Juno faltered in their fight, the rod bouncing away as the competing raptors turned their attention to their alpha. They darted around him, figuring his shouting meant that he didn't want to play. They left him to his hobbling, the man cursing as he examined the leg they collided with. The enforced material had finally given way under the raptor's growing claws and they had managed to nick the skin underneath. He yanked his pant leg up, wincing at the light slashes that slowly dripped blood. It wasn't a bad cut by any means but across from him, standing rooted in the dirt, Diane was starting at the beads of red, her head tilted.

"Percy?" His mother's concerned voice cut through his haze. "Are you okay?"

"Absolutely fine, not bleeding or anything," Percy laughed nervously, entirely certain that she was about ready to hang up and call Thalia (who probably could have someone outside his paddock in five seconds flat and his ass on a plane home even quicker). "Well, I gotta go Mom, call you tomorrow, give Paul a hug for me, love you lots bye."

He quickly snapped his phone shut with a grimace. Diane made a low noise and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's a scratch," he pressed, reaching out to thump Diane on her scaly head with his boot, reasserting his dominance both physically and through the force of his voice. The little raptor lowered her head, accepting his authority before racing after her sisters, her alpha's blood forgotten, at least for now.

Percy breathed a sigh of relief, glancing down at his still bleeding leg. Now, how was he going to convince Grover not to tell Thalia?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hello, Ms. Chase? My name is Luke Castellan, I work for the department of Genetic Revival and Research at Global Othrys."

"What I'm trying to ask," Annabeth said through clenched teeth, her hands gripping the pen for her tablet so tightly a part of her was afraid she might accidently snap it in two, "is why can't we reinsert the chips into another part of the pachycephalosaurus' body? The animals are short-circuiting their chips when the males ram their heads together correct?"

Annabeth held up a hand to prevent anyone from answering her rhetorical question, glaring them into submission as she continued, "Would the effectiveness of the invisible fences be diminished if the chips were placed in a less pragmatic area, like the shoulder?"

The brigade of engineers and animal control specialists before her shifted awkwardly, glancing at each other. On her right, Beckendorf scowled, crossing his great arms as he glared at the men opposite them. When he walked into the room some twenty odd minutes ago, the giant engineer frowned at the assembly before firmly planting himself at Annabeth's side. His silent, strong support was appreciated, and now as he scowled harder and began to speak, Annabeth thanked every deity she could think of that he survived the explosion of the _USS Andromeda_ during his tour in the navy.

"There is nothing wrong with the fence," Beckendorf asserted, his deep voice barring no argument. "The chips work fine. They will continue to work fine if they are placed elsewhere in the body. The head is not essential, merely convenient."

"Thank you, Beckendorf," Annabeth said, giving him the slightest smile as the men across from her vaguely protested.

On her other side, Connor snorted into his notepad (that he wasn't really taking notes in but rather drawing some doodles Annabeth would begrudgingly admit were impressive, at least in the safety of her own mind).

In a stage whisper, which is to say not a whisper at all, Connor leaned in close and said, "They don't get paid as much if we just move the chips. Greedy assholes."

The man opposite him choked on his water as Connor leaned back, smirking.

"The chips are still fully functional," Annabeth said and collected her things. "We will relocate the chips and test the new position. If this proves ineffective, I'll rejoin this meeting to discuss further options."

One of the men started to protest, but Beckendorf and Connor stood with Annabeth. She was sure Beckendorf was glaring at him from over her head as Connor cheerfully intoned, "Queen Annabeth has spoken."

"Gentlemen," Annabeth said, inclining her head. Nobody tried to stop her as the three exited, so she counted it as a win.

"The reason the chips are located in the head is because the animals lead with them," Beckendorf said slowly as they rounded the corner and were a safe distance away from the conference room. "So the second they step over the line, the chip will deliver the shock, and send waves of electricity through their brain. That's why the head is the most effective place for invisible fence chips. But, if we move the chips into any part of their spinal system, it should deliver a shock startling enough to keep them on the correct side of the fence."

"Thank you, Beckendorf, I'll arrange for the chips to be relocated and all you'll have to do is continue to monitor the fences. And if that doesn't work…" Annabeth sighed. "I suppose we'll call them back."

Beckendorf inclined his head at her, taking a turn and leaving Connor to happily trot along beside Annabeth as they made their way back to the control room.

"Greedy assholes?" Annabeth repeated as they stepped inside the elevator and the doors slid close behind them. Connor grinned at her.

"I _was_ going to say greedy capitalists, but then I remembered we work at an overpriced animal amusement park and that would be rather hypocritical of me."

Annabeth shook her head, fighting back a smile. Connor winked, then his face lit up.

"Oh! I almost forgot, got a present for you."

A wallet went sailing through the air and Annabeth caught it in surprise. It was brown, worn around the edges and still warm, indicating that it not long ago sat in the pocket of its owner.

"Connor," she tried to scold, but she was laughing. "Who's is this?"

"The asshole who sat across from you," Connor unrepentantly replied.

"Return it," she commanded, but she was smiling as she handed it back. It slipped into Connor's pocket.

"Maybe it'll end up in the lost and found," he said, eyes sparkling.

"It better," Annabeth said but the effect was ruined by the smile that still found a home on her face. The elevator _dinged_ and they stepped off on their floor. Connor returned to his seat, throwing promises over his shoulder to watch the pachycephalosaurus herd and keep ACU on alert for any runaways while the fence was on the mend.

Annabeth paused outside her door, looking over her shoulder. "Hey Connor?"

"Hm?" Connor said, rearranging the setup of little plastic dinosaurs he had lined up at his work station.

"Thanks." _For sticking by me_ went unsaid.

Connor grinned soppily, saluting her like a sailor on the sea. "Always. Besides, if they fired you we'd probably end up with someone who wouldn't let me keep my _artful_ collection of dinosaurs at my station so…"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Of course."

The sound of Connor's laughter followed her as she closed the door to her office. She sighed as she sat down at her desk, relishing the peace and quiet. The last few days had been hectic to the extreme. She only hoped that now things would start to settle.

The pachycephalosaurus problem was being taken care of, the nursery's outbreak had been contained and thanks to antibiotics they hadn't lost any infants, and the raptors were safely tucked away in their paddock on the opposite side of the island. She very carefully avoided thinking about their trainer, his wide green eyes staring mournfully at her from across the park, as she turned on her computer.

As she read through her emails, keeping her emotions detached and uninvolved, she read the one from _Perseus Jackson_ , her phone rang. Not her desk phone, which was used by anyone in the park who was trying to get ahold of her, but her work cell phone.

She checked the number; she didn't recognize it.

"Annabeth Chase, Jurassic World park manager, to whom am I speaking?" She methodically answered.

"Ms. Chase? Oh good. My name is Luke Castellan, I work for the department of Genetic Revival and Research at Global Othrys."

The voice on the other end sounded young and pleasant, which immediately put Annabeth on edge. Pleasantness usually meant the speaker wanted something. The alarm bells in her head went off even louder as she processed Global Othrys.

"T-Core owns Global Othrys," Annabeth immediately replied, her voice just as pleasant, because two could play this game. T-Core was and had long since been Lightning Inc.'s biggest competitor. It didn't bode well that someone from the company was contacting her.

The man on the other end laughed, and damn him even his laugh sounded nice.

"Ah, no getting passed that huh? Yes, T-Core bought Global Othrys a few years ago, but I assure you our goals have not changed since the transition. T-Core is merely financing us and in return gets a percentage of our profits, nothing more nefarious than that. And, as I'm sure the words 'genetic revival and research' alerted you too, Jurassic World and Global Othrys have a similar goal."

"Global Othrys has an interest in dinosaurs?" Annabeth mildly asked, mentally rolling her eyes at the phrase 'merely financing us'. As if the world were that simple.

"Well, we're interested in genetic revival," Castellan replied dryly, "and your dinosaurs seem to fit that bill."

Annabeth's lips twitched at that.

"Really, what we're interested in is using genetics to preserve and replenish the population of endangered animals," Castellan continued, "but I won't bore you with the details. The intention of this phone call, as I'm sure is all you really want to know, is on the behalf of an old contract. When Jurassic World first opened, some of our scientists were a part of the team that synthesized DNA and we still share joint patents for many of your animals."

Annabeth stiffened at this, but the man continued to amiably talk.

"Now, we'd just like to study a few creatures now that they are full grown. You know, see how they are adapting, how the infused DNA of other animals we used to fill in gaps of the genome are affecting them. That sort of thing, so we can apply it to our research here."

"On endangered animals?" Annabeth asked slowly.

"The Amur leopard to be exact," Castellan divulged. "So, we wanted to come and observe one of your predators.

Annabeth was dubious, but as Castellan spoke she ran the names through her database and everything he said seemed true so far. While it was mildly concerning that a part of T-Core, no matter how small or 'uninvolved' it was, had fingers in her park, she didn't see how she could say no. And honestly, she didn't see the harm in any observation.

"Okay," she conceded, "we can set up viewing with the metriacanthosaurus – "

"Ah," Castellan coughed, "actually I was thinking about the velociraptors."

Annabeth froze. "What?"

"They're smaller," Castellan explained, "more active and have more in common with our leopard than the giants. Not that raptors and leopards have much in common, but you know, more."

Annabeth frowned, tapping her pen irritably against her desk. Velociraptors, it always came back to the damn velociraptors.

"The raptors are very dangerous creatures," she tried to dissuade.

"As is the metriacanthosaurus," Castellan easily replied. "And the leopard. So, when can I come down?"

* * *

Ethan stared at her blankly when she informed him that Luke Castellan would be observing the raptors.

"Luke Castellan?" Ethan repeated the name slowly, each syllable rolling around on his tongue as if it were unsavory.

"Yes, he works for Global Othrys," Annabeth said with a wave of her hand. Then, frowning, "Why, do you know him?"

"Think I might have gone to school with him," Ethan vaguely replied, his face blank. Well, that wasn't unusually by itself, Ethan was rather an introverted person, but Annabeth had a feeling deep in her gut that this was something more.

"If it's an issue, don't show up," Annabeth decided. "But if there's some history I need to know about tell me now."

"We're good," Ethan evenly replied, methodically picking up the stack of papers on his desk, carefully organizing them in a neat pile. "But I don't understand why you're telling me this, shouldn't you be informing the _raptor trainer_ , you know, Percy."

Annabeth frowned, "I assume you'll tell him. Castellan will be at the paddock around midday tomorrow, make sure your team is on their best behavior."

"They're not my team!" Ethan called after her and she could feel his scowl burning against her back as she walked away. She ignored it, her steps only faltering when her phone rang. She answered it as she opened the door to leave Ethan's lab.

"Ah, you know that Global whatever guy who was supposed to come by for observation tomorrow?" Connor's nervous voice greeted her. Annabeth frowned.

"Luke Castellan?"

She could feel Ethan's eye on her as she hesitated in his doorway.

"Ah, yeah, him. Well, he's here now. Early. And ah, someone offered to take him down to the raptors. Like, right now. They're on their way."

"You didn't stop them!" Annabeth exclaimed, panicked.

"I tried! But I didn't know he arrived early until he already hitched a ride with one of the restricted area guards and well – "

"Stop them," Annabeth panicked, her mind conjuring up the image of Jackson's wide green eyes. "Jackson doesn't know he's coming."

"You didn't tell them Castellan was coming?"

Was that judgement in Connor's tone? Annabeth decided she would deal with that later.

"Not yet, I just told Ethan," Annabeth snapped. She had better things to do than babysit the raptor trainer dammit "Just stall them until I arrive."

"They just pulled into the paddock."

"Dammit." Annabeth swiped the call to an end, pulling up the camera feeds on her phone and watching in horror at the car that came to a stop outside the raptor paddock. Jackson had to be in the cage, she couldn't see him, but a tall figure emerged from the car. Castellan.

"Dammit," Annabeth repeated.

"He's here early?" Ethan surmised, oddly enough looking as panicked as she felt. "And he's with Percy?"

"Yes," Annabeth snapped. "Come on, that idiot better not do anything stupid before we arrive."

The drive out to the raptor paddock took too long and Annabeth felt every passing second keenly, gnawing on her inner cheek as she drove just a little too fast down the well-worn dirt roads. Connor called ahead and the park gates were already opening before she arrived, letting them zoom right on by.

"Ah," Ethan said, one hand braced against the headboard of the car and watching her speedometer nervously.

"I got it," Annabeth snapped back and the man wisely fell silent.

The car barely came to stop at the raptor paddock when Annabeth threw her door open, holding her head high as she made a beeline for the cage. Jackson wore a slightly confused face behind the electric fence, fiddling with the dog clicker at his side. Grover gnawed nervously on his fingers inside the first set of the paddock doors, his eyes skittishly flickered to her as she stormed across the dirt, Ethan hot on her heels. A third man stood outside the fence, face turned towards Jackson. At their footsteps he turned.

"Mr. Castellan," she guessed.

Luke Castellan looked around her age, probably a few years older, more in Thalia's age bracket than her own. Blond hair, artfully scruffy, fell into crystal blue eyes, disturbed only slightly by a jagged scar that stretched across his face. He was tall, just this side of tan, and his lips curled up into a sharp, devastating smile. For a reason she couldn't put her finger on, it didn't have quite have all that devastating of an effect on her. Some distant part of her mind disapproved of the perfect curve of it, the direct proportionality that was at odds with . . . with whatever she expected.

Still, he was a handsome man, she decided, pushing the thoughts away. It didn't matter that he was attractive, it didn't matter that her mind evidently wasn't impressed with his attractiveness and no she didn't want to psycho-analyze why that was. She was professional dammit.

"Ms. Annabeth Chase I presume," Luke Castellan said, offering his hand. "I know I'm early – I got a little ahead of myself."

"Ahead of us all it would seem," Annabeth evenly replied, reaching out to shake the offered hand. Castellan had other ideas apparently, and as soon as her fingers closed around his, he brought them up to his mouth for a kiss.

"Yeah, sorry," Castellan laughed. "I just got so excited. I mean, I've never seen real live dinosaurs before! Can't exactly afford it on my salary."

He threw in a wink, brilliant teeth on display as he released her hand.

"But if I had known that Annabeth Chase herself would have been meeting me I would have waited!"

At the rise of her eyebrow, Castellan laughed, "Your reputation precedes you, my lady. Everybody's always talking about the fierce Annabeth! You manage to run the most lucrative and cost efficient animal park in the world! With dinosaurs too, just amazing. Oh, I read that analysis you published on the merging of commercial entertainment and academic research - "

"You read that?" Annabeth interrupted, awed.

The man grinned and nodded, eyes bright as he peered down at her, "Of course I did! It was brilliant."

"I don't – " Annabeth stammered, stunned. Nobody read her papers. They were dull, boring, too pessimistic. Even most of her simple memos sent to Lightning Inc. went unread. A genuine grin worked its way up Annabeth's face. "Thank you Mr. Castellan, I'm glad you found it enlightening."

"I find everything you write enlightening, and please call me Luke," Luke said, flashing his teeth once more.

"Luke," Annabeth amiably repeated.

Someone snorted and Annabeth suddenly remembered they had an audience. She cleared her throat, face only a little hot, and looked around. Jackson was scowling now, his arms crossed as he suspiciously eyed Luke. Ethan had silently crept forward, leaning towards the fence and away from her and Luke.

"Ethan," Luke called, catching sight of the scientist.

To say Ethan stiffened would be incorrect, the man was already stiffer than a board, his back ramrod straight, but his mouth thinned and eyes seemed to grow darker. He inclined his head ever so slightly, just enough to be noticed.

"Castellan."

Something passed between the two men, from Luke's cool blue eyes and Ethan's good dark ones. His deliberate use of Luke's last name was not lost in Annabeth, nor Luke from the way the corner of his smile twisted.

"This is Percy," Ethan continued, motioning towards the man behind the fence. "Our raptor trainer."

"Ah yes," Luke said, pivoting to smile at Jackson, who was still scowling. "We were just getting acquainted when you came."

"We're very glad to have you," Annabeth said smoothly, before testosterone could rage and ruin the carefully crafted civility. "I thought we could go over a few things before coming to paddock, but – "

"But I kinda ruined it," Luke laughed. "Sorry. Hey, how about you tell me about your raptor program while we watch your crew go about their day?

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Annabeth said, smiling in return. Luke had a very nice smile she decided, and he definitely had that professional air about him that she preferred. She pretended not to see Jackson scowl from the fence.

"Carry on with your daily routine," Annabeth told him, sending him a stern look, her eyes wide. _Don't mess this up_ , she forced the words into her gaze, _make a good impression_. Jackson huffed, putting that ridiculous fishing hat on his head with more force than necessary as he turned on his heels.

"Shall we?" Luke asked, holding his arm out to Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled and linked her arm through his, leading the way up to the boardwalk above the paddock.

"Our velociraptors are six weeks old," she told him as they climbed, her fingers curling around his not unsubstantial forearm (good lord if Thalia ever heard her say that). "Progressing as well as we could expect. I don't know their current height and weight off the top of my head, but I have a full report I was going to print for you."

At her slightly reproachful look, he laughed. "I really threw a wrench in your plans didn't I? My sincerest apologies."

He followed the words with another beautiful smile.

"You'll just have to make it up to me," Annabeth said, only realizing how those words might sound a second later. She blamed the terrible influence of Silena and Thalia as she mentally cursed herself. Luke, however, grinned down at her, a sharp edge to his smile.

"I look forward to it."

They had leaned in during their talk, Annabeth's hand still caught in his elbow, and for the first time Annabeth noticed how close their faces were. She could have counted his eyelashes if she wanted too.

Luke opened his mouth, close enough she could feel his hot breath on her face, when a loud shriek cut through the air. Luke jumped, tearing away from Annabeth as his clear blue eyes swiveled down to the paddock below in keen interest. Annabeth scowled down at the assembly below. The four raptors stood with their heads low and tails swaying slightly, forming a circle around Jackson, who had the clicker in hand. Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, certain that he had something to do with the raptor's cry.

"Those are the raptors huh?" Luke asked, leaning over the side to get a better look at the four reptiles below.

"Yes," Annabeth said, clearing her throat as she sent Jackson one more look of warning. "They have a very strong pack dynamic, just as we suspected. Jackson's the alpha and, for the time, they follow his direction as much as any pack would follow their alpha. The beta is ah – "

Annabeth's brow furrowed, frowning at the creatures below, trying to remember their hasty introduction and which one Jackson said was the beta. She thought it might be the blue one, who stood a little taller than her sisters and was the closest to Jackson.

"Juno," Jackson called and the almost blue raptor's head swiveled. She gave a sharp caw, the throaty reptilian cry sending a shiver down Annabeth's spine.

"Incredible," Luke said, his eyes slowly cataloging the little raptor below. Juno didn't seem fazed. She tilted her head but kept firm eye contact with the blond man above her. "And how well do they listen to their alpha?"

"As well as could be expected," Annabeth neutrally repeated. She had watched the videos Jackson sent her; they listened sometimes but had yet to exhibit any real hostile behavior towards Jackson. Who knew how long that would last. She didn't want to put any false ideas in Luke's head about velociraptor complacency so she kept it at that.

"If he gives a command will they follow?" Luke pressed.

The memory of Jackson, dog clicker held over his head as four little raptors followed in tow reared in Annabeth's mind.

"Sometimes."

"Only if they want to," Jackson called, arms crossed. One of the raptors, the tan, excitable one snarled and lurched forward. Jackson frowned, tearing his attention away from the catwalk to kick his foot in her direction.

"Knock it off Diane," he said firmly. The raptor lowered her head, talons clicking irritably in the dirt.

"She listens," Luke murmured.

"Sometimes," Annabeth stressed. A flash of white caught her eye and her gaze automatically diverted. Ethan, still dressed in his sterile white lab coat, stood perfectly still at the edge of the paddock. His eye was trained on Luke, a frown on his face, before flickering to the raptors.

"They're beautiful," Luke said, calling her attention back to him.

"In their own way," Annabeth reluctantly agreed as the littlest raptor shook her feathers out. One of them was hanging low and at her shake it came loose and fluttered to the ground. She leaned down, sniffing at it, until Diane pounced and the feather disappeared in the other raptor's mouth. Juno looked unimpressed. She chittered and Jackson nodded.

"Yeah I know," he said, as though honestly having a conversation with the reptile.

"Nature's finest creation," Luke countered, flashing her that sharp smile again. "Take a look at the way they're designed. Sleek muscles and fine bones to increase their speed and stealth. The elongated jaw, rounded snout for catching prey. And look, even in their adolescence their sickle claw sticks out."

"It stuck out at birth," Annabeth muttered.

"Perfection," Luke declared and Annabeth had to at least appreciate his enthusiasm.

"Definitely creatures to be respected," she acquiesced. "What kind of information are you looking for Luke? Do you want to compare their generic code to observed traits, the filled gaps in their genome, aggressive characteristics – "

"Before that," Luke said, holding a hand up to interrupt. "Would it be possible to watch them follow a command? Just to see that pack dynamic in action?"

When had he gotten so close, Annabeth wondered, blinking at his clear blue eyes that were mere inches from her face.

"Yeah, of course," Annabeth said and was embarrassed to hear the breathless note in her voice. Dammit. She cleared her throat and took a discrete step to the side, peering down into the paddock. Jackson's face scowled up at her.

"Jackson," she called. "Luke wants to see the pack dynamic in action."

"They're not cute little bunnies at a county fair," Jackson scoffed. "You can't just point and say jump and expect them to jump. They're dangerous, wild animals."

"I know," Annabeth frowned at him. That's what she'd been telling them _since the beginning_.

"I wasn't talking to you," Jackson grumbled.

"But you've been training them," Luke called down. "They're learning."

"And soon enough they'll learn just where in the food chain they really are."

"Jackson, enough," Annabeth said, even though she didn't disagree with anything he was saying. "Just show us what they know."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. He glared right back, huffing as he turned around, the hooks of his outrageous hat catching in his hair. She bit her tongue, glaring at the offensive headgear; she should have told him to take the damn thing off. What Luke must think of that ridiculous ensemble? Did that reflect poorly on her? Annabeth shook her head and focused on Jackson's actions, tucking the hat away for later.

"Eyes on me," Jackson said, holding the clicker over his head and giving three sharp clicks. The four raptors sat up, their eyes turning to him and silently watching with rapt attention. Jackson shot Annabeth one more disgruntled look before sighing, "Alright, hide and seek ladies – time to find the squirrel."

"Not a real squirrel," Annabeth told Luke. "At least, not yet. It's a package of meat wrapped up and hidden for the raptors to find. The scientists call it a squirrel because of the twine we wrap it up in. The twine is digestible so it doesn't hurt the raptors if they accidently eat it, but it kind of makes the whole thing look like it has a bushy tail."

"When will they get live prey?" Luke asked as Jackson held a bloody rag down for the raptors to sniff.

"Soon," Annabeth vaguely replied. She wasn't entirely sure herself, but it would be soon. The girls were frighteningly accurate at 'hide and seek' as Jackson called it. Soon they would be large enough to bring down little prey. They were progressing faster than they envisioned.

From their vantage point, Annabeth could see Juno's nostrils flare as she took in the scent on the rag. She gave a throaty caw before darting into the bushes, two of her sisters hot on her heels. The fourth raptor cawed at Jackson, her head cocked to the side. Jackson dropped the rag right onto her snout, causing the little raptor to snort and stumble backward, chittering.

"Go on then," Jackson urged, an oddly gentle and paternal smile on his face as the raptor finally shook the rag off. She sneezed, her lithe body stumbling backward from the force. Jackson laughed and nudged her with his boot.

"Go show the big girls what you're made of baby, alpha believes in you."

The raptor shrieked and dove into the bushes after her sisters.

He was really good with them, Annabeth wryly admitted to herself. Maybe he earned the right to wear his stupid hat. She turned, her mouth half opened to speak to Luke, only to find the man frowning at the paddock.

"We can go down to the ground level," Annabeth suggested. "You won't catch sight of them hunting from up here – or from any angle for that matter."

"Sure, lead the way," Luke said with a gesture of his hand. There was something off about his smile that Annabeth couldn't quite put her finger on. It cleared away almost immediately and she returned his smile as they climbed back onto the ground.

"They're getting quicker at this exercise," Annabeth divulged as they walked over to Ethan's side. "They should be back in no time."

As if on cue a series of shrieks filled the air and the four raptors tore into the clearing. The little raptor, Ceres, had the not-squirrel in her jaws, eyes shining as she sprinted ahead of her sisters. She came to a skidding halt before Jackson, chittering through her mouthful in obvious pride. Jackson laughed.

"Aw, that's my girl."

Annabeth couldn't help but smile – she always liked the underdog – but the moment didn't last. A second later the beta – Juno – tackled Ceres with a bloody cry. The besotted look didn't fade from Jackson's face as he watched the pair tussle.

"And that's what happens when Juno thinks you're threatening her position as beta," he said conversationally. "Don't worry Ceres, alpha's still proud of you."

Next to her Ethan snorted, shaking his head as Grover grinned, leaning in to say, "You think _that's_ bad, you should've seen him with the great whites. What a maniac."

"So what do you think?" Annabeth asked, turning to face Luke. He was watching the raptors raptly, his eyes trained on the brawling pair. Juno pined Ceres down, her sickle claw pressed against her sister's throat.

"They're perfect," Luke said and this time his smile was a hundred percent genuine.

"Good," Annabeth said, pleased. She fished her keys out of her pocket and handed them to the blond man. "If you wouldn't mind waiting in the car while I speak to our trainers, I'll take you into the park in just a moment."

"That sounds fantastic," Luke said, taking the keys from her hand, his fingers brushing against her as he sent her another roguish grin.

"Thanks Luke," she said as he walked towards the car.

She turned to face her employees and found herself at the receiving end of one of Jackson's glares. He'd been doing that a lot today, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the dark expression on his normally cheerful and carefree face. It almost made her miss his crooked smile.

"Luke?" He repeated distastefully.

"He's here for research," Annabeth replied shortly. "And we will give him our full cooperation. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you ahead of time, I meant to. He came early."

"What's he want with my girls?" Jackson demanded, crossing his arms. At his ankles, Juno hissed, cold beady eyes fixed on Annabeth.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes right back, feeling secure enough on the other side of the fence to glare at the creature.

"To study them," she said irritated. "And you will give him your full cooperation."

"I don't like him."

"I'm not asking you to be best friends and braid each other's hair," Annabeth snapped, her temper flaring. "Just answer his questions and play nice."

She looked to Ethan for support but the scientist looked determinedly at the ground. Grover merely shrugged and looked away, offering no help as he scratched the back of his head.

"Just for a few days," Annabeth placated, deciding the fake-it route would be good enough for Jackson and Luke. "Just be nice for a few days, Percy."

"Jackson."

"What?" Annabeth frowned. Jackson had been trying since day one to get her to call him by his first name, she honestly thought that might soften him up a little.

"Call me Jackson, Miss Chase," the raptor trainer said, his jaw stubbornly set.

"Are you really going to be like that?" Annabeth demanded.

"Go on Miss Chase, aren't you the one who's going to be braiding _Luke's_ hair?"

"You are an actual child," Annabeth snapped but Jackson held his hands up, turning his back to her and walking into the forest.

She glared at his retreating back, and since her displeased glare was lost on him she turned it to Ethan and Grover instead.

"I'll be taking Luke into the park, straighten him out." She told them sharply, twisting around on her heels and stalking away. She opened the door to the car and climbed inside, slamming the door shut with a satisfying bang.

Luke glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking, "Trouble?"

"It's nothing. Let's go see the rest of the park shall we?" Annabeth asked, starting the car with more force than necessary.

"I'd like that," Luke said with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am extremely embarrassed and ashamed to admit it's been so long since I've written Luke that I totally forgot how to.  
> Anyway, if you see any inconsistencies with his personality, that's why. Also, please pardon my dubious science


	10. Chapter 10

"Bla –ah – ah, Percy _please_ could you just watch the raptors?" Grover pleaded.

"I'm just saying – " Percy passionately declared, his back still firmly turned on the raptors as he peered through the electric fence at his best friend's pale face.

"Bla – ah - ah, yes I get it, you're jealous of Castellan now could you please just watch them? God, they've gotten so big, don't lean any closer if you get electrocuted again not only will you probably not survive this voltage, but they'll probably tear you to pieces now, and then Thalia will kill me, or Nico, or your dad, and your mom will be sad and of all the people in this world, your mother deserves to be sad the least."

"Breathe," Percy instructed, mildly impressed with Grover's breathless babble. His face softened. "Yeah, Mom's the absolute best. She sends her love by the way."

_"She's going to get you in a body bag if you don't turn around."_

"And I'm not _jealous_ of Castellan," Percy huffed, crossing his arms and still not turning around.

He knew exactly where the girls were, could hear the scuffle between Minerva and Diane and felt secure enough that the debacle would demand Ceres' full attention (relieved at the fact that she wasn't the victim this time) and that Juno haughtily watched over it all.

"I'm just saying that I've been here for almost _three months_. I mean, I've behaved perfectly well – I've only gone inside the cage without telling someone like four, five times tops. Sure, I mean, my credentials were _lacking_ , but she should be over that. Besides, I've been doing great. I'd like to see somebody else to get these heathens to listen to them."

He paused then threw over his shoulder, "Alpha loves his girls! Hey – Diane, no, we don't go for the throat, yeah that's right Minerva, kick her in the face that'll teach her. What was I saying? Oh yeah – I've done great work with the girls. They listen pretty well and nobody's been maimed yet! The T-Rex tore a guy's leg off last month; my girls haven't done that!"

Juno gave a low throaty growl and Percy turned around, hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes at her. "Now don't you go getting any ideas, you're too small to try ripping somebody's leg off."

"Yeah, because their _size_ is what's wrong with that picture," Grover muttered.

Percy decided to ignore that. "So this guy just waltzes in – and he doesn't have a paleontology degree either! – smiling and claiming he reads her oh so clever papers and bam they're best friends? I mean come on. She refused to call me Percy, but oh she'll call him _Luke_."

"You told her not to call you Percy," Grover pointed out.

"Not the point G-man, who's side are you on?"

"The _sane_ side," Grover sighed. "And sometimes I'm afraid that Ethan and I are the only ones."

"Speaking of the one-eyed devil, where is he?" Percy asked with a frown, looking around. There was a distinct lack of blindingly white lab coats. "We're introducing live prey today; he's supposed to be here."

"He's not coming," Grover said, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you read your email this morning? He's showing Castellan some of the genome or something scientific, I can't remember."

"Great," Percy grumbled, crossing his arms and kicking a clump of dirt. "Fine."

"So run this by me again," Grover said as Percy adjusted his hat and finally turned around, heading for the girls. "How are we going to do this?"

"Beckendorf installed remotely activated doors for this very purpose," Percy said, pointing the little doors out to Grover. "We put the prey inside from our end and section the girls off in their little paddock." He pointed at the little sealed off area at the end of the paddock. This area was designed almost like the stalls of a racehorse, except it was made with reinforced steel and a muzzle for the dreaded vet visits. "We contain the girls and set the prey free. Like with the squirrel exercises, we let the girls sniff something with the prey's scent on it, then remotely release their restraints. With any luck, they'll chase after the live prey like the squirrel, only this time it's you know, _alive_ and they have to catch and kill it."

Grover shuddered.

"You don't have to watch," Percy said, taking pity on his vegetarian friend. "Just, go chill in the car or something during the exercise. We'll be fine."

"What kind of animal is it?" Grover hesitantly asked, his eyes trained on Juno's sharp sickle claw, which idly tapped against the dirt.

"Ah, I'm not entirely sure I should tell you," Percy admitted, not wanting to upset his friend.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Grover agreed with a jerky nod, his face a little green. "I'm just gonna, ah, go sit down somewhere." He started to turn away, but frowned and narrowed his eyes at Percy.

"You're not going to be _in_ the paddock while they hunt are you?"

"I'm pretty sure you would kill me if I tried," Percy grinned and Grover huffed.

"Good," he said with an answering grin. "Now if you excuse me I'm going to go hid in the car and pretend like the slaughter of innocent little fluffy animals by vicious velociraptors isn't happening."

"Have fun!" Percy called and Grover gave him a thumbs up over his shoulder.

Next to him, Ceres gave a low chitter and he glanced down at her. Grover was right, the raptors had gotten bigger. They were a little above knee height now and Percy would be lying if he said their sickle claws didn't give him a fair amount of anxiety. They were still beautiful though, and they were his still his vicious little girls.

"Alright girls," Percy said, clapping his hands together. Diane gave an affronted shriek at the loud, foreign sound and Minerva narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at him. "Don't do that again, got it. But today's a big day! We're graduating from boring, day old meat to fresh live prey! So yay! Exciting right? Okay, but first, the not so exciting part – we gotta go into our little cages."

He gave three little clicks, nudging Ceres with his boot. "Follow me."

They didn't know what to make of the cages. Minerva, ever inquisitive, approached one first. Her nostrils flared as he coaxed her forward with a slice of chicken meat. He spared a moment to wonder if that counted as cannibalism, did eating your ecological descendants count as cannibalism? He shook the thought away as Minerva crept into the cage and he shut it with a snap. Nothing happened at first. Diane cocked her head in confusion, like why can't I see Minerva anymore?

After devouring her little snack, the sound of gulping gradually replaced with the sharp shriek of claws on metal, Minerva realized she couldn't get out and then the fun started. Minerva shrieked, a furious sound that tore through the silence and actually made the guards above jump.

"Hey now, none of that," Percy soothed, trying to nudge Ceres in the direction of her cage. "The sooner you cooperate the sooner we get to hunt live prey. Come on, knock that off, don't you trust alpha?"

Apparently not. At another shriek from Minerva, Diane leapt forward, her claws extended. Percy jerked himself to the side before her deadly daggers could connect and, quickly before Diane could recover from her dive, he thumped her on the back of the head.

"Knock it off," he said firmly, putting steel into his voice. "No, you listen to me. Nobody's trying to hurt you. Minerva, knock it off."

He thumped the side of her cage for good measure. Juno hissed lowly and he narrowed his eyes at her, stepping forward to glare down at her.

"Don't you sass me, Juno."

Juno hissed angrily. Percy held a slice of chicken out to her. Calculating eyes watched it carefully, scenting the air.

"You want the chicken don't you?" Percy urged. "Then get in the cage. Uh-uh!"

He held the chicken up high as Juno started for it. She chittered unhappily, jaw grinding.

"You don't scare me kitten," he huffed, even though he knew if she leapt he was in trouble. Grover would have a field day if he saw Percy right now, and a distant part of his brain wondered if he could delete the surveillance footage before his friend saw it. "In the cage and you can have the chicken."

With that, he threw the piece into Juno's cage. Juno lowered her head, jaw still grinding together. Ceres and Diane watched her raptly. Slowly, the blue raptor edged forward, her tail swaying minutely. Percy rose an unimpressed eyebrow, motioning towards the cage.

Then, lightening quick, Juno darted. Percy tensed unconsciously, half expecting her to leap at him, but instead she dove head first into the cage. Percy recovered himself in time to close the door behind her, trapping the beta inside.

"Good girl," he cooed. Juno scraped against the side of the cage, growling unhappily. "Alright," Percy said, turning to the remaining two. "Who's next?"

It took another ten minutes to get Ceres and Diane into their cages and plenty of slips of chicken to get Minerva to shut up (he wondered mournfully as he slipped her his last piece if she wouldn't even be motivated enough to chase the prey now). It should get better with time, he knew, as they learned that being put in the cage meant that prey would follow. Still, it was a pain.

"Alright, here we go girls, I know it seems different but really it's the same drill, just with you know, legs." Percy said holding a rag out to Juno's cage. "Hide and seek girls."

Juno's nostrils gave a Pavlovian flare at his words, taking a deep inhale of the scent. He repeated the motion with the other three before tucking the rag away.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Percy said, whipping his hands on his pants as he slipped out of the paddock. One of the raptors gave a shriek, probably Diane.

"Alpha's still here!" He called, jogging around the paddock and sprinting up to the boardwalk, taking the steps two at a time. The guards didn't look impressed.

"Alright, let's see what we can do," Percy said when he was situated on top of the paddock.

The girls' cages were directly beneath him and he could see the dark blue of Juno's scales. With baited breath, Percy hit the release button on the prey's door. A moment of silence and then a dark furry creature darted out and across the paddock. Yeah, it was best if Grover didn't know that the raptors were chasing bunnies.

With that thought, Percy hit the release on the girls' cage.

Juno sprang out and disappeared into the bushes almost quicker than he could see, the rustle of the bush the only indicator that he really had seen a flash of blue zip across the paddock. Diane gave a blood-curdling shriek and chased after her, hot on Minerva's tail who got a head start because she didn't stop to be dramatic. As Ceres' tail too disappeared into the bush, a silent departure that honestly freaked him out more than Diane's bloody cry, Percy sat back on his heels and waited. The cameras in the paddock were the only hope he had for actually catching the girls hunt so until they caught the creature, it was a waiting game.

He never was any good at waiting. He fought the urge to check his phone as he rocked back and forth on his heels. The forest was quiet. At least they got the stealth part down.

A shriek tore through the air, piercing and, well, purely animalistic. In the forest beyond the paddock, several panicked birds took flight.

Well, they _almost_ got the stealth part down.

Percy peered curiously into the paddock, waiting. None of the girls appeared, prey in tow. He bounced on his heels, impatiently waiting. Another shriek tore through the air, just as loud and fierce as the first, but this one was immediately followed by two sister calls. It didn't sound like a victory call, nothing like the cries they uttered when they found the not-squirrel. Percy's brow furrowed. There was a streak of brown darting through the bushes, followed by a blue blur as Juno followed. Juno shrieked in fury as she tried to catch the rapid creature, and as the little fluff ball sharply turned the ancient predator was unable to move her preadolescence limbs quickly enough to follow. Instead, Juno tipped like a light sailboat overturned by a hurricane and crashed into the ground. Her sisters jumped over her shrieking form, but none of them were able to turn quick enough to catch the rabbit.

"Unbelievable," Percy said, biting the inside of his cheek to withhold a laugh at the ridiculous sight below, of raptors tripping over each other and themselves as they desperately tried to catch the elusive prey.

"Unbelievable," he repeated, letting go and laughing as he climbed down from the catwalk, urged on by the distressed calls of his girls. "You can't catch a little _bunny_."

Feet on the ground, he approached the cage. Standing in the middle of the clearing, her head whipping around sharp enough to give a human whiplash, was Ceres. Her eyes narrowed in on him as he approached and she gave a pleading, beseeching cry.

"I take it the live prey exercises aren't going as well as we hoped."

Ceres shrieked pleadingly at Percy as Ethan walked up to the paddock, his one good eye raised.

"They can't catch a _bunny_ ," Percy snickered.

Ceres made a sound almost like a keening dog, slinking up to the fence, claws held out like a child seeking comfort from their parent. It was all kinds of adorable and Percy almost wished he were inside so he could pick her up.

"There were some concerns about the agility of the rabbit," Ethan, ever the scientist, said. "It was raised that perhaps the raptors wouldn't have the capability to change direction fast enough to catch one."

"We'll have to switch to a less quick prey," Percy said, cooing slightly as he reached his hand out towards Ceres.

"Don't touch the fence," Ethan sighed, sounding exasperated as he batted Percy's hand away. "And don't do that anyway, you can't touch them with your bare hands anymore Perseus."

Percy mock scowled at the use of his full name. "Whatever Nakamura, like you don't want to just reach out and hug her."

"I don't actually," Ethan sounded pained.

"Was Grover still taking cover in the car? He can probably come out now, I don't think they're going to catch it." Percy's face twisted. "I don't suppose there's any easy way to get the rabbit out is there?"

Ethan frowned. "I didn't think of that."

Somewhere in the forest, Juno shrieked. Percy puffed out a sharp breath as Ceres made a pitiful sound. "Well, this'll be fun."

"They might exhaust the poor creature," Ethan said, obviously trying to sound positive, but the look on his face told a different story.

"Or the rabbit might exhaust them," Percy suggested.

Ethan gave a great sigh and the men glanced at each other before bursting into laughter. Well, Percy burst into laughter and a sideways half smile worked its way up Ethan's face as his shoulders shook.

"Stop it, it's not funny," Ethan tried to school his expression back into its usual somber template but failed, sending Percy into another fit of laughter.

"It's – it's," Percy tried to deny, not quite getting enough air to finish the thought. On the other side of the fence, Ceres gave a low chitter, as if she knew she was being made fun of.

"If only Castellan could see them now," Ethan chuckled, shaking his head.

The mirth evaporated from Percy's face at the name, morphing into a grimace, and then a frown.

"And how was Castellan," Percy asked not even trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

Ethan seemed to realize he hit a sore spot. He pursed his lips, his face closing off.

"I don't like him," Percy declared suddenly, frowning over at the paddock. Diane stumbled into the clearing and collapsed, panting. Ceres cooed, looking concerned. She nudged her sister's flank and the larger raptor gave a pitiful whine.

"I can't put my finger on it," Percy said as Ceres nuzzled into her sister's side. "But there's something about him that's just off. I didn't like the way he looked at the girls… especially when they were hunting. There was this look in his eyes. I… I can't explain it but…"

He trailed off, watching as Diane nuzzled Ceres back. "He doesn't see them like I do."

Ethan let Percy talk without interrupting and after a moment of silence, Percy turned to the man. Ethan's only eye was fixed on the girls, his expression unreadable.

"Instincts are a powerful thing," Ethan said finally, tearing his eye away from the girls and turning it onto Percy. "We should trust them."

"Yeah," Percy said distractedly, nodding. "We probably should."

* * *

"I'm going to name her Pitys," Grover said fondly, cooing as he ran his hand over the rescued rabbit's back.

"Good," Percy said distractedly, firing up his computer and rooting around for the power cord.

"Because she's a fighter," Grover continued. "She bested those big mean raptors didn't you?"

"She was just fast," Percy said, finding the cord with a soft 'aha' and plugging his computer in. "Give them a few weeks and rabbits won't stand a chance."

Grover tightened his grip on the rabbit. "You're not getting her back," he said firmly.

"Of course not, I wouldn't have let you get attached if she was going to be raptor food," Percy snorted, finally looking up to absently pat the remarkably calm creature on the head. "She deserves a good home after all she went through today."

"I need to get supplies if she's going to live with me," Grover said excitedly. "I'll need a cage and some carrots and one of those cute little bunny houses – "

Percy hummed appropriately as Grover kept talking, going on and on about his newfound pet.

"And you're not listening to me," Grover said, snapping Percy out of his daze.

"Hm? Wait, no I was listening. You want to put cute little hats on her and send pictures to Juniper," Percy quipped.

"I never said that," Grover yelped, his face turning crimson. Then, "She would look cute in a hat. But no, you're distracted. What's on your mind?"

Grover said across from him, setting Pitys the lucky bunny on the table. Her nose twitched and Percy couldn't resist reaching out to pet her, feeling moderately remorseful that only a few hours earlier he used her as raptor bait.

"Castellan," he admitted. Across from him, Grover groaned.

"Here me out!" Percy exclaimed as his friend started to protest. "Let me explain. I've been doing some digging on Global Othrys – did you know they were owned by T-Core?"

"T-Core," Grover repeated, frowning as he carded his fingers through Pitys' fur. "Isn't that – ?"

"Lightning Inc.'s biggest competitor, yeah," Percy said. "They bought them three years after Jurassic World contacted them for help with DNA synthesis, but get this – seven years prior to their involvement with the park the CEO of Global Othrys was Tethys, who is now a member of the Board of Directors for T-Core, and she was with Global Othrys right up until their contract with Jurassic World. And she's not the only one, there are several members of Global Othrys that switched over right before the contract, or the other way around."

"T-Core is a big company," Grover said dubiously. "And just like your uncle's company, they have a big section of that company dedicated to DNA research. It's an expanding industry. It doesn't seem all that strange to me that they would toggle employees back and forth, especially if T-Core was thinking about buying them."

"I don't know; why would Zeus even contract Global Othrys if they were involved with T-Core?"

"Corporations always fight over the little guys," Grover grumbled, scowling. "Usually end up driving them out of business or sucking them up."

"And T-Core did eventually buy Global Othrys, but why did they wait ten years?" Percy wondered.

"Maybe because they were involved with Lightning Inc.," Grover pointed out.

"I don't like it." Percy declared, crossing his arms. He tapped his hand against his keyboard, frowning at the Global Othrys homepage.

"I think you just don't like Castellan," Grover muttered. Percy scowled at him.

"There's something fishy going on here," Percy objected.

"Are you sure your feelings aren't just getting in the way?" Grover asked shrewdly.

"Who's side are you on?" Percy asked angrily.

" _Yours_ ," Grover exclaimed. "I'm _always_ on your side Percy, because you're my _best friend_ and that's what best friends are for. And sometimes that means reminding you when you take things too far."

Grover stood up, looking hurt. "I'm always here for you Percy, how could think otherwise?"

Percy deflated, leaning back in his chair, unable to meet Grover's eyes.

"I know, I know," Percy muttered, staring remorsefully at the floorboard. "I didn't mean it like that Grover, I know you always have my back. Sorry."

He saw Grover shift, his worn Converse scuffing against the wood. "Your instincts normally are pretty good," his friend reluctantly admitted. "So maybe…maybe I'm a little wrong too."

Percy peeked up at him, smiling slightly. "You don't believe that."

"I didn't believe in shark hypnosis either until you went ahead and flipped that tiger shark," Grover grumbled.

Percy gave a surprised laugh, looking up. Grover hugged Pitys close, giving Percy an apologetic grin.

"I thought you were going to kill me after I did that," Percy remembered, grinning.

"I thought the shark was going to kill _you_ ," Grover exclaimed, "and then Thalia would've killed _me_."

"Naw, she would've just resurrected me and killed me herself," Percy teased and they both laughed.

"It's starting to get dark, you should go." Percy said, nodding towards the window, where the sun was starting to set. "Get Pitys all her bunny things."

Grover shifted the bunny in his arms, nodding. "I guess. If you want you can come into the park with me, we can get dinner and maybe catch Beckendorf and the others – "

"I think I'll stay here tonight, actually, gotta call Thalia and stuff you know," Percy said. "Maybe next time G-man."

Grover nodded, looking slightly miserable. He put a hand on the trailer door, "You're going to research Global Othrys some more aren't you?"

Percy winced. "I guess I really wasn't being all the subtle huh?"

"Not really," Grover grinned briefly before the expression faded and he looked seriously at his best friend. "If it really means all the much to you, and you really feel strongly about this… I guess I can look into it too."

"Have I ever told you what an awesome friend you are?" Percy asked fondly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Grover said, waving a hand as though to brush off Percy's compliment, but he was grinning. "I have to be to put up with you. I should ask Thalia for a raise. Babysitting you is a full-time occupation."

"Ha, ha, ha," Percy said sarcastically as Grover's laughter followed the man out of the trailer.

Percy smiled to himself at the departure of his best friend before returning to his computer. "Alright _Luke_ Castellan," Percy said. "Let's see what bones are in your closet."

It turned out that digging up secrets on the internet was harder than Percy thought. He wasn't exactly a hacker or anything like that (although he was faking 'raptor specialist' pretty well he didn't think the same thing applied to the electronic world). He was slouching in his chair, miserably refreshing Global Othrys' homepage as though the repetition would eventually force the bland webpage to relinquish all the secrets of the world to him, when a little beeping in the corner of his screen alerting him to an incoming Skype call. The number that flashed across the screen belonged to Thalia.

"Hey Thals, if this is about that phone call – " Percy greeted, only to cut off sharply as the face that materialized on his screen formed a face that most certainly was not his cousin.

Well at least, if his suspicions were correct, it wasn't the cousin he expected. The guy on the other end of the call was a few years younger than him, like a college junior or senior. He was tall and muscular in the 'I own a gym membership and actually make good use of it' sort of way. Blond hair framed his face like a halo, but what drew Percy's attention were the bright blue eyes that earnestly stared out of his golden face. They were Thalia's eyes...if Thalia's eyes still had optimism and hope in them that is.

"Jason," Percy guessed and the boy on the other end smiled.

"Percy."

The smile looked fake Percy thought idly, artificial. It was barely noticeable, but Percy was good at spotting the signs; he had a lifetime of finding them in his uncles' and father's faces. It was good enough to almost fool him though, Percy thought sourly, Jason certainly was Zeus' son.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Jason said when it became obvious that Percy wasn't going to say anything.

"Yeah," Percy said shortly.

He wasn't entirely sure what else to say. Thalia hadn't exactly been forthcoming with much information and the reappearance of Thalia's long lost brother had apparently woken Percy's not so long lost fears of abandonment and inferiority.

"Thalia's told me a lot about you," Jason said, apparently realizing he was going to have to carry this conversation.

"Oh." Percy said because one-word answers were apparently all he was capable of. He cleared his throat, remembering the torn and painfully hopeful look on Thalia's face when she thought of her real brother and, for her sake, tried, "She ah… she's told me – "

"She hasn't told you anything about me," Jason finished for him, and the brightness left his smile as it turned a little sour.

"Ah yeah," Percy said, wincing. "But uh, it's not like she has much to go on? She did just, uh, re-meet you? I guess?"

"Yeah," Jason said, taking his turn at the monosyllable responses. He blew out a breath, running a hand through his ridiculously perfect hair. He let his hand fall, looking miserable.

"Sorry to bother you," Jason said, trailing off as he dropped his gaze. "I guess I just wanted to meet the great Percy Jackson."

"The great Percy Jackson?" Percy repeated dubiously. "I think you have the wrong number then."

That startled a laugh out of Jason, who smiled wanly at his hands. Percy tried to recall the vague tidbits Thalia told him about her brother – he thought he remembered something about her calling him a 'goddamn ray of sunshine'… Well he didn't look very sunshiny right now.

"She thought you were dead," Percy blurted out. Jason finally looked back up, his brow furrowed. Percy hastily plowed on before he could think better of it, babbling as he vaguely waved with his hands, "I mean, you probably knew that but uh, she really missed you. Like, I met her when I was only twelve and she was like, I dunno, fourteen-ish. And even though it had been years since you'd gone missing – died I guess in her eyes – but she still thought about you. Like, all the time. She used to just look out the window and grow quiet and I knew that she was thinking about you – about her brother."

Jason stared him as he babbled, his bright blue eyes wide.

"She missed you, and she never stopped loving you." Percy paused. "So, uh, I guess it's nice to finally meet the infamous Jason Grace then."

A twinge of a smile twisted up Jason's face, and this time it looked genuine.

"I think I see what they see in you," Jason said. "Thalia and Nico I mean."

Percy frowned, trying not to scowl. "You've talked to Nico?"

"A few times," Jason admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and peering sheepishly at Percy. "He, uh, he calls me sometimes."

"Great, that's, that's just great," Percy said, unable to keep the bitterness from creeping into his voice. He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Jason's earnest ones. "Sorry. I didn't… I'm glad Nico's talking to someone."

There at least was a little bit of truth. Even if Percy was a tad bit resentful it wasn't him, at least Nico was talking to someone. Percy valiantly swallowed back the bitterness at that thought, berating himself for his own selfishness.

"It's not personal," Jason said slowly.

Percy grunted.

"No seriously," Jason entreated, sounding ridiculously earnest. "He still loves and trusts you! It's just, it's easier to talk to strangers about some things you know? Things you wouldn't tell your siblings" – was that a note of bitterness in angel boy's voice now or was Percy being selfishly wistful again? – "and he's afraid you and Thalia will be overbearing. So he calls me sometimes."

"I'm glad he's just calling someone," Percy repeated softly, hearing the sincerity that rang with each word. "He needs someone so… thanks."

"He's got a crush on a med student named Will," Jason blurted out, the words running together in an almost incoherent stream.

Percy's head snapped up. "What?"

"Will Solace," Jason repeated, slowly this time. "He's a, uh, med student at Nico's school. Nico apparently accidently cut himself during biology class and Will happened to be studying nearby and he stitched Nico up because he didn't want to go to the nurse or anything."

"Stitched him up? God, it's like something out of a rom-com," Percy chuckled, grinning. He could easily picture his cousin, clutching his injury close as he blushed darkly and swore he didn't need to see a doctor. "But wait, why are you telling me this? Aren't you like, in Nico's confidence or something?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Jason trailed off awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and looking slightly sheepish. He grinned weakly at Percy, "Thalia's told me now hard Nico's life is, and how low his self-esteem is, and he always looks so sad and hopeful when he talks about Will and I… I just wanna make sure he doesn't get hurt you know?"

Percy blinked at his cousin's image, his mind stuttering to a halt before rebooting, whipping out any and all previous doubt or dislike and replacing it with one hundred percent positive conviction for one Jason Grace. Scratch that, one hundred and ten percent.

"Um," Jason's brow furrowed when Percy didn't immediately respond. "Hello, did the computer freeze or something -?"

"THALIA!" Percy shouted, causing Jason to jump about a foot in the air. "I'M ADOPTING HIM."

"Is that Percy?" Thalia's shout floated in from somewhere else in the house. " _Dammit Percy you're not stealing my brother after I just got him back_!" 

Jason jumped at that too, looking alarmed, an expression that only escalated when Percy pointed at him.

"My new brother," he declared. "No take-backsies, no refunds. You're stuck with me, through thick and thin; through Thalia's temper and that freaky thing Nico does when he steps out of the shadows – "

Jason's lips were twitching by now, ignoring the continuous stream of vague threats Thalia made in the background.

"Through Dad's ridiculous cross-national baby napping?" Jason volunteered.

"Bros for life," Percy promised just as Thalia stormed into view.

Her hair was swept back in a careless ponytail, a silver shirt flowing behind her and reflecting light like the moon rising in the night. It was the most relaxed and well, Thalia-ish he had seen her in what felt like years. If his commitment to keeping Nico safe, even at the cost of losing the little skeleton's favor, wasn't enough to cement Jason's place in Percy's heart, this sight certainly would have.

Thalia scowled at him, an expression of habit more than of genuine displeasure, as she leaned over Jason's shoulder to squint suspiciously at him.

"We're keeping him," Percy declared.

Thalia snorted, trying to school her expression into something disdainful and irritated. But Percy could see the relief shining through, the fondness and sheer _happiness_ at seeing Percy and Jason getting along so well.

She smiled and it wasn't full of sarcasm or bite as Olympian smiles usually tended to be. Instead, the curve of her lips was soft and relieved and almost heartbreakingly happy.

"I'll be damned if I let anyone take any of my boys ever again," Thalia said, arms draping around Jason's shoulders.

"Aw shucks," Percy cooed as Jason preened, leaning back against his sister.

"Shut up before I change my mind you asshole."


	11. Chapter 11

John Hammond claimed he created the original park, the aptly named Jurassic Park, to remind people of how small they really were. It was hard to feel small when you worked for the second largest company in the world, where your office was fifteen stories off the ground in a towering glass skyscraper; people, dinosaurs, every creature imaginable spread out on the interactive map that stretched your walls; the world at your very fingertips. Annabeth didn't have the time or interest to visit Hammond's favorite girl, old Rexy, but it was during moments like this that she thought she understood what the late owner had been talking about.

The beast before her was fifteen feet in length, the chart flashing at her side estimating its weight at near a thousand pounds. The young pachycephalosaurus buck went down almost thirty minutes ago but only now were Chris and his medical team creeping forward.

"He's out!" Chris called, holding a fist into the air and making some signs that the medics around him understood but were as foreign as another language to Annabeth. "We have just under two hours before he wakes up. Start sterilizing."

"Are you sure he's out?" Clarisse grunted, fingering the trigger on her non-lethal rifle as she eyed the heavily breathing dinosaur as if thinking about drowning its poor system with even more suppressants.

"One hundred percent," Chris calmly assured her, laying a hand on the arm that held the gun and smiling charmingly at the large woman. "So we can put the guns away and let the vets do their jobs."

Clarisse blushed, an unbecoming color that clashed with her hair (styled, once again, and quite artfully – honestly Silena frightened Annabeth more than any dinosaur in this park ever could). As the ACU leader grumbled but put her weapon away, Annabeth herself strode forward, eyes on the unconscious herbivore.

"I forget sometimes how big they are," she confessed softly when Chris appeared at her elbow a few minutes later. The veterinarian hummed thoughtfully, twisting rubber gloves on his fingers as his team quickly and efficiently moved medical equipment into place.

"Almost as big as the Stoll brothers' egos," Chris teased with a charming smile, but it fell away as he gently bumped his shoulder against hers. "We all forget sometimes. We get so caught up in the running, and the problems, and the equations, assets, money – that we forget that these are real living creatures. And not just any creatures but dinosaurs! Real, living breathing dinosaurs!"

Chris grinned and in the sunshine she noticed he had dimples in his smile.

"S'pretty cool," Chris chuckled, looking over at the pachycephalosaurus. "Sometimes _I_ forget just how freakin' cool it is… Well, if you excuse me, I have a chip to relocate."

Chris gave her one last smile before approaching his team, calling out orders and procedures as he went. This was only the first of many pachycephalosaurus that needed operating on. It would take weeks to relocate all the chips in the herd. In that time, Beckendorf and his team of technicians could watch and monitor the animals who had their chip relocated already to gauge the effectiveness of the procedure. Hopefully it would work.

Annabeth really needed it to work.

Watching the gentle swell of the pachycephalosaurus' great murky brown chest, Annabeth answered her phone as its buzzing drew her attention.

"Why the long face Boss Lady?"

Annabeth scowled, swiveling around to squint suspiciously at the tree line. "Connor Stoll, don't tell me you've been messing with the security cameras again."

"Of course not, m'lady you wound me!" Connor dramatically cried and Annabeth could practically hear him clutching his chest. "Would I, your humble, most overworked yet lovable and dedicated helmsman, abuse my powers so grievously as to – I think I just spotted Khloe Kardashian disguised in a tasteful tourist getup holding hands and sucking face with someone who definitely is not hubby-dear, thoughts? Do you think if I got a picture I could sell it and makes millions?"

Annabeth's lips twitched and she had to bite her lip to keep both the smile and the laughter that threatened to bubble out of her throat at bay.

"Saw that," Connor gleefully chimed.

"Turn those security cameras back onto the dinosaurs and do something productive," Annabeth tried to scold.

"If I got that picture I'd never have to be productive again," Connor grumbled. " _Buut_ as it so happens I called for a reason. You missed another call from Luke Castellan when you were away. Video call too, is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'll be back at my office within the hour," Annabeth said, quick to speak over the cackling man. "I'll call him back then because Luke – _Mr. Castellan_ and I are discussing business related material that you can kindly keep your dirty nose out of."

On the other end, Connor was still snickering.

"And if the cameras aren't turned around by the time I get back, so help me Connor, I will tell Katie who actually killed her Georgia Aster."

"I didn't know it was a rare flower!" Connor panicked, the sharp sound of something crashing followed by the man cursing interrupting his speech. " _Oh no my dinosaurs_ – I was going to give it to her! You know, a sweet, nice gesture! Girls like flowers, it was a pretty flower, _I didn't know it was rare and – "_

"By the time I get back Connor," Annabeth said sweetly, swiping her finger across her phone and effectively cutting off the man's frantic babble.

"Connor killed the flower?" Chris called from his place crouched at the pachycephalosaurus' head, grinning.

"And it's my blackmail, find your own!" Annabeth called back with an easy smile, causing the veterinarian to laugh as he returned to his task. "I'm going to head back into the park. Call me when the procedure's done and keep me updated on your progress."

As much as Annabeth loathed to admit it, there was some truth to Connor's speculation. Since he left Isla Nublar, Luke had been calling her a lot, usually video calls. And before he even left the park, Luke had spent a disproportional amount of time with Annabeth. Which could be innocuous, Annabeth tried to reason, he wanted information on the park and its dinosaurs and who better to ask than the operations manager herself?

Of course, the way Luke smiled and the way their conversations more often than not drifted were much less innocuous.

The attention, Annabeth wouldn't lie, was nice. It was nice to escape the park and all her worries for a while, to sit back and talk with someone who understood and cared about her work outside the park.

"Luke," she greeted sometime later in the safe seclusion of her office when the screen before her flickered to life. Luke's face grinned at her.

"Annabeth," he returned, eyes gleaming. One of his pale eyebrows rose, his smile increasing in time with its ascent. "You've got a little – " he said, motioning towards his nose.

"Oh," Annabeth said, laughing as she rubbed at her own nose, her fingers coming away smudged with dirt.

"Did some field work today huh?" Luke asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he sat forward. "Getting your hands dirty?"

Annabeth snorted, "Hardly. No, we had to relocate the tracking chips in our pachycephalosaurus herd and I was presiding over the first operation."

"Hm," Luke hummed, nodding. "How are our raptors?"

"Still growing," Annabeth sighed, wiping her hand off on a stray napkin she found in her desk. "They're almost alarmingly tall now. I've been meaning to speak to Ethan about the emerging safety issues."

"Don't you mean talk to Jackson?" Luke asked.

Annabeth hummed vaguely, rummaging around in her desk to avoid answering. In truth, she hadn't spoken to Jackson since that day with Luke those few weeks ago. Honestly, it shouldn't feel as strange as it did. She hadn't willfully sought him out before… only now he seemed just as determined to ignore her as she did him. Ethan no longer passed on messages for the raptor trainer and the emails that showed up in her inbox every evening without fail were short and impersonal, signed impersonally with 'Jackson' at the bottom. After spending so long trying to force formality upon the man, the use of his last name should have pleased her. It didn't. Strangely enough, it left a rather hollow feeling in her chest.

"Earth to Annabeth, hello?"

Annabeth blinked in surprise, Luke's face coming back into focus as the man waved his hand in front of the screen. For a moment, she almost thought a dark shadow lay over his face but she blinked and it was gone, replaced with a bemused sort of smile.

"Where'd you go there?" Luke teased.

"Sorry," Annabeth tried to laugh, feeling her face flush. "It's just, I've got so much on my mind."

"I thought you were distracted by the thought of someone else," Luke teased, leaning forward. His eyes were especially dark, his smile sharp.

"Oh no – " Annabeth started and Luke laughed as he neatly interrupted.

"Good because I really don't like to share."

He was flirting with her, Annabeth noticed almost detachedly. It wasn't the first time, although it was perhaps the first time he had been so blatant about it. When was the last time she'd been on a date, Annabeth wondered, when was the last time she had a boyfriend? She couldn't even remember. Yet something held her back from responding in kind, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that whispered his smile wasn't right, his laughter was off, this or that or something else left unsatisfied. When she didn't reply immediately, Luke's smile faltered.

She opened her mouth, to apologize, to change the subject but Luke beat her to it.

"You know," he said, his voice full of forced cheer. "You're the only person who's never asked about the scar."

"The scar?" Annabeth repeated, grateful for the change in topic, her eyes flickering over the slash that marred the face before her.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Well, yeah," Annabeth admitted, rolling her eyes. "But it's your story to tell. I didn't want to pry."

Luke laughed. "Of course, you didn't. Well, you're right, it is my story, and this is me telling it. It was an accident. I used to work for the army you know. Got contracted by Global Orthys when I got out, for security and the like. They were working with one of our leopard's close cousins then, only I didn't know it. They had just cloned one and she was only like, three or four months old. I don't know what they used in her genetic coding but something went wrong. She just wasn't right. She didn't live very long, but she was alive when I got there. One night, alarms started blaring." He gave a sour chuckled. "Never heard anything like it, it was a terrible sound. She'd broken out of her cage. It wasn't built strong enough or the scientist underestimated her strength I don't know, but she got out."

"Like the good soldier I was, I went running. She was rampaging, destroying precious equipment and data and attacking the scientists. She had one of them on his back, clawing at his face. I didn't think, just jumped in. I probably should've just shot her but I didn't. Got her off the guy and she turned on me. She swiped at me and, well, left a lasting impression."

Annabeth gasped, unthinkingly reaching forward as though she could touch the scar through the computer screen. "She got you that deep? And so close to your eyes – my god how did you survive?"

Annabeth didn't imagine the shadow that passed over his face this time.

"Luck…and a quick friend," came the hard reply.

 

* * *

 

"The raptors are due for their first real check-up."

Those damning words were accompanied by a steaming cup of coffee, carefully set before her as Silena stared expectantly down at her. Annabeth blinked, then decided that terrible sentence could be analyzed after she had her fix of caffeine. Silena wisely said nothing as Annabeth took a long drink of the offered coffee, studying her flawless pink nails as she waited.

"We prepared for this," Annabeth said, more to herself than Silena. "Beckendorf built the reinforced cages with fitted muzzles so the raptors could be properly examined."

Silena nodded her head, somehow managing not to upset her beautiful hair in the process. She flashed Annabeth a sly smile. "You won't find any better. Charles is the best."

If using Jackson's first name was strange, it was nothing compared to hearing Beckendorf's. It actually took her a few confused seconds to connect the name to their esteemed mechanic before she was nodding.

"That he is," she agreed. "It's still a terrible idea. How do I even choose which vet gets the misfortune of giving the exam?"

"Draw straws," Silena unhelpfully suggested, tucking a file beneath her arm and motioning for Annabeth to continue drinking coffee. At her boss' unamused look, her painted lips twitched. "I don't know, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Whoever has the most knowledge of the raptors and is the least likely to do something stupid that'll cost them their fingers."

"Thanks for the coffee Silena," Annabeth said with a sigh, tipping the coffee in the woman's direction.

"It's a present to myself," Silena laughed, waving as she walked out.

Annabeth stared at the cup of coffee as if it would spring to life and magically solve all of her problems. Silena was a good person, and absolutely fantastic at handling the apatosaurus herd…but she still wasn't Thalia.

In the end, drawing straws was pretty close to how Annabeth ended up choosing the unfortunate vet. Chris didn't look too upset over it.

"I was on the team that checked Rexy out last time you know," he reminded her as he collected his things for the visit. "Now that's something that only happens once in a lifetime, and I can't exactly say I'm eager for a repeat. Although, she was fully sedated, at least until it started wearing off early."

Annabeth grimaced at the reminder. Rexy only got check-ups every five years and her first check up under Annabeth's supervision had gone…less than stellar. Nobody had gotten hurt that time (not like when the stupid new trainer stood too close to the gate and got his leg torn off) but the scramble for cover as the giant predator stirred was permanently embedded in Annabeth's memory. She still had nightmares about it. She had yet to lose any personnel to a dinosaur but that day, watching Rexy's golden eyes open, she was almost certain that that would change. It hadn't but it was a close call.

"Hey, sorry I shouldn't have brought that up," Chris apologized, watching her knuckles turn white as they gripped Ethan's latest report. "Nobody got hurt, though! And the blame falls on us vets for not having the dosage correct, you did everything right."

"Right," Annabeth said tightly.

"The raptors," Chris said, quickly changing the subject as he flipped open his file on the creatures. "Now, they won't be totally sedated right?"

"Correct, there was a minor anesthesia added to their food so they should be compliant. They will also be restrained and muzzled. We have ACU standing by with both non-lethal and lethal weapons." Annabeth rattled off. "You'll be perfectly safe."

"And the raptor trainer – Percy? – he'll be there too right?"

"Yes," Annabeth shortly replied. She still hadn't spoken to the man since Luke. For the first time since he arrived on the island, Annabeth sent Jackson an email last night, succinctly describing the procedures for the vet visit. He didn't respond, but the email pinged as being read.

Chris nodded, tucking the file away. Oddly enough, the fact that Jackson would be there seemed to reassure him more than anything else, a detail that made Annabeth frown.

"Alright, let me go get the big stuff and I'll meet you in the parking lot," Chris said, heaving his medic bag up and over his shoulder as he darted inside his office.

"I'll be in the car!" Annabeth called after him, already heading out. As she fished her keys out to unlock the car, her phone buzzed.

Glancing down at the phone, Annabeth's eyebrows rose in surprise as Thalia flashed across the screen. A quick glance at the time revealed it was just a little after ten. Far too early for Thalia to be calling her, especially with the time difference. At once anxious, _oh please tell me Zeus doesn't have another long lost child_ , Annabeth answered the phone.

"Thalia?"

"Hey," came the short reply, Thalia's unmistakable voice cutting clearly through a buzzing background.

"What's all the noise?" Annabeth asked, her brow furrowed in concern as she slid into the car.

"People," Thalia repeated disdainfully. "The world's infected with them you know." Then, after a moment of silence, "I took Jason into the city. He's never been before because he was supposed to be dead."

"Right," Annabeth said with a wince. "Are you with him now?"

"He's picking out a gift for his girlfriend," Thalia said.

Annabeth frowned at the direct, succinct answer. While direct and succinct were generally Thalia's thing, this seemed…different. Hesitant almost.

"Thalia, are you alright?"

"I just got a text. Well, another text in a series of texts," Thalia cryptically replied. "Grover, and now Ethan, are keeping an eye on my idiot boy over there you know."

Annabeth wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. She had a vague moment of panic, wondering if Jackson was alright. But, no, if something had happened in the last twenty-four hours since she'd gotten his last report, Ethan or Grover would have told her. Although, she was starting to get the unsettled feeling they wouldn't tell her first.

"Look Annabeth – " the loud _snap_ of gum echoed across the line. "I don't have many friends, and I have to say that you're probably the best friend I've got."

That was oddly sentimental for Thalia, Annabeth thought, slightly panicked, she wasn't dying was she?

"But I had a super shitty childhood, a bucket load of Daddy issues, and a goddamn lifetime full of brother issues, 'kay? And when I thought I lost Jason, I adopted Percy and then Nico. They _are_ my brothers, my family, the ones who hung around when everything else was going to hell in a hand basket. And dammit if I of all people don't know my brothers have faults, god do I ever know, but they're my little brothers. And so help me I will choose those boys over everything else every time, hear me?"

"What?" Annabeth asked, startled, sitting up straight.

"What has Jacks – Percy told you?" She demanded. "Thalia – "

"Jackshit," Thalia snorted. "He complained in the beginning a little and I ignored his dumbass, but he stopped. I thought you might've straightened things out – stupid, don't know why I ever thought anything with you two would be easy, god the pair of you like to make my life difficult. But when Grover Underwood starting dropping hints I got a little suspicious. Now Percy won't tell me anything, that damn pride of his, but he's not running his mouth to me…. Damn idiot loves me you know, so he's not going to cuss out my best friend to my face. And I appreciate you not bitching about him to me. Now I don't care what your beef is with him, I really don't, or who started it, who said what – "

Thalia trailed off.

"Don't make me choose. I don't want to have to make that call," Thalia said after a moment of silence and genuine emotion leaked into her strong voice, low and tired, "You won't like who I pick."

The line clicked off after that, leaving Annabeth sitting, stunned, listening to the dial tone.

_Damn Olympians and their never ending need to be dramatic,_ she thought, dazed and slightly panicked.

She had a sudden vision of Jurassic World without Thalia, a world in which Thalia never returned and stopped answering her phone. Sure, Annabeth had Silena and Katie and Connor (not that she would ever tell the man she considered him a friend), but none of them understood her like Thalia. None of them could make her laugh or bring her out of a mood, none of them would willingly storm into a conference room and punch a multimillion dollar investor in the face for Annabeth.

"You okay there Annabeth?"

Annabeth didn't hear the car door open but there was Chris Rodriguez, putting on his seatbelt next to her and looking mildly concerned. She cleared her throat, clinically tucking her cell phone away.

"Fine, just spaced out there for a minute. Everything set and ready to go?"

"All set," Chris grinned. "Let's go see some raptors."

She drove to the raptor paddock on autopilot, forcefully tucking Thalia's phone call away for later consideration because now wasn't the time to be distracted. These were _velociraptors_ and she needed to be on top of her game, not worried about whether or not she was losing her best friend.

_God dammit_ , she thought as she pulled into the raptor paddock and found her throat was impossibly tight, her knuckles gripping the steering wheel until they were white and practically unfeeling. She forced her fingers to unclench, willing them to be calm as she unbuckled her seatbelt and smoothly exited the car.

_You're fine_ , she told herself firmly, running a hand through her hair as she surveyed their surroundings. She had doubled the number of guards for the day and the paddock, which usually seemed to ooze a strange and dangerous sort of calm, was unusually busy and crowded. It didn't do anything for the knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Underwood waited for them by the gate. His hands were balled at his side in a valiant attempt not to gnaw at them in anxiety. She couldn't see Jackson.

"Grover Underwood?" Chris called with an easy smile as his assistant took their medical gear out of the car. "I'm Chris Rodriguez, your personal vet for the day, nice to meet you."

He held his hand out and the men shook hands.

"So, where's our esteemed alpha and his pack?" Chris teased, his eyes flickering to the paddock.

"Bla – ahem sorry," Underwood coughed. "Around the corner here. Percy's got the girls all ready for you."

"Lead the way."

Underwood took them around the edge of the paddock and as they turned the corner, Jackson finally came into sight. He was standing between the cages Beckendorf made, leaning against the side of one of them as he ran a soothing hand over one of the raptor's exposed backs. The fronts of the raptors were totally enclosed, hard metal twisting around their jaws and sliding back to keep their heads in place. The cage swallowed their front limbs but their back legs were unchained behind it. Jackson didn't straighten up as they approached, but continued to make low, cooing noises as he gently ran a hand down the exposed blue back.

"Jackson," she called.

Jackson's jaw clenched and he only barely glanced up, a silver of dark green that quickly swept passed her and onto the others.

"Gates are unlocked and the girls are locked up tight," Jackson said, his voice flat and unreadable.

"Great, looks like we're ahead of things," Chris said, smiling despite having to feel the tension in the air. He boldly stepped forward, swinging both sets of paddock doors open to step inside. To the vet's credit, he didn't as much as falter as he strode into the paddock, holding a hand out for Jackson to shake.

"Chris Rodriguez," Chris introduced. "Percy right?"

It was perfectly okay for Chris to call Jackson Percy, Annabeth rationalized. They didn't work together; Chris was just coming for a check up on the girls. Professionalism, probably even dictation that Chris call Jackson by his first name. It still made her stomach twist a little, especially when Jackson's mouth twisted in dark humor.

"Yeah."

"Well, introduce me to your girls!" Chris said, setting his medical bag down. A genuine smile, crooked and uneven, found its way on Jackson's face this time.

"The blue one here is the beta, Juno . . . "

She called Silena by her first name, and Connor, and Katie. But they were her friends as well as her co-workers – Jackson was just her subordinate.

". . . don't you growl at me." Jackson huffed, gently swatting the raptor on her hip. "She thinks she has to be all tough because she's the beta. You should probably always start with her."

But was it really professionalism? Or, if Annabeth was really being honest with herself, was it something more? Misplaced anger at their situation, that no one ever listened to her, that this casual happy-go-lucky personality was being thrown in with the world's most dangerous pack animal? Irritation that needed to be laid on somebody's shoulders and Jackson happened to be the easiest target?

"Here's Diane, watch her legs, she won't hesitate to kick you and boy do those claws hurt. Don't worry about the sickle claw, though, it's on the end of their arms and they're locked up tight - "

_He's annoying and unprofessional,_ part of Annabeth objected.

_Oh, and what about Connor's toy dinosaurs? Or Silena and Katie's little get togethers in her office?_

"This one's Minerva, she'll probably stand still for you – more so than the other girls at least. She knows something's going on but she's interested not suspicious – "

Was it a clash of personalities? Willful antagonizing on the part of two puzzle pieces that could never fit together, a corner piece against a center one?

"And here's little Ceres. She's alpha's sweetheart, aren't you Ceres?"

Something bumped against her and instinctively, Annabeth flinched and drew back.

"Sorry," Underwood hastily said, holding his hands up in peace. "Sorry – ah – it's just . . . you looked really spacey and I wanted to make sure you were okay and stuff."

"I'm fine," Annabeth automatically declared. Underwood shifted, his eyes flickering nervously over to the vet and raptor pack (since when did she start thinking of Jackson as _part_ of the pack?) before returning to her.

That he was uneasy with her presence was obvious, almost transparently so. Staring at his shy, skittish brown eyes, Annabeth felt the beginning of the pangs of guilt. Standing alone with the man, she realized she knew absolutely nothing about Grover Underwood, couldn't even remember properly speaking to him. He couldn't even meet her eyes, physically discomforted by her presence…yet kind enough to make sure she was okay.

God, what kind of boss did that make her?

What kind of _person_ did that make her?

It was a bit too much self-reflection for the moment.

"How do you like your apartment?" Annabeth asked.

Underwood blinked at her. "Bla – ahem, s-sorry. It's, ah, fine – I mean great, it's, ah, great."

"Good," Annabeth said, nodding along. Grover's eyes flickered over to the cage and Annabeth turned to look as well.

Chris was running his hand along Juno's back, his hand pressed against the raised vertebrae of her spine.

Thalia didn't think it was odd that Annabeth and Jackson didn't get along, that couldn't be a coincidence. But then again, a snide part of her brain supplied, Thalia didn't expect anything in her life to go the right way – why should she ever expect her best friend and all but adopted brother to get along? But Annabeth could try, for Thalia's sake. Besides, it wasn't like there was any real animosity between herself and Jacks . . . _Percy_. Just . . . just a clashing of personalities. Annabeth didn't, in fact, _hate_ Jackson. He was annoying, and childish, surprisingly intelligent – even if it wasn't in the areas she _wanted_ him to be in – and…and maybe it wouldn't be that hard to not, not get along with him.

For Thalia.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jackson met Annabeth's gaze. His eyes were dark and face oddly guarded. Well, no time like the present.

"Excuse me Mr. Under – Grover," Annabeth said, gently patting the man on the arm as she strode forward. She had barely reached for the first cage door when her phone pinged.

Because of course it did.

"Annabeth Chase," she shortly answered, hand still on the cage door.

"Oh god, Annabeth it's me," Connor panicked. "Another pachy-whatever out of bounds and crashing through the restricted section – heading for the pteranodon nursery. ACU en-route, ETA _not-sure-if-quick-enough_ – "

Sometimes, life just really wasn't fair, Annabeth reflected detachedly, her body already in motion, mouth moving even as her brain lagged behind almost nostalgically. Jackson and Thalia would have to wait another day.

"I'm en-route, send me the video feed of the dinosaur and call Reyna – she's closer than any ACU team."

One more day wouldn't hurt.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy jerked in surprise, spinning on his heels and gaping at the woman behind him. Annabeth Chase stared back, a cup of coffee in each hand. As Percy stared wide-eyed at her, probably doing a pretty good impersonation of a deer caught in the headlights, she extended one of the cups towards him. He stared at that too.
> 
> "It's coffee, Jack— Percy," she said, as if this explained the whole strange ordeal.
> 
> "Um," was all he managed to say as the warm cup was forced into his hands, "it's not poisoned is it?"

After the girls' morning feeding, (regular, already dead meat, although they ran live prey sessions every other evening now) Percy sat down at his laptop to upload last night's training session and send it to the park manager. He half-heartedly flicked through some old articles about Global Orthys he found on Google Scholar, which apparently existed and which apparently he should have known about. Thalia swore up and down she didn't know how he graduated from college ("Red Bull and hope," Percy replied). The articles were boring as hell and somewhere along the line he found himself watching cat videos instead.

"Hey Perce," Grover greeted, barging into the trailer without preamble.

"Grover!" Percy said, jerking upright. "I was just doing research on Global Orthys."

Grover leaned over, his eyebrows raised as he watched the cute little tabby on Percy's screen try to get itself out of the glass container it somehow found its way into. He gave Percy a look.

"It was really boring okay?" Percy defended, crossing his arms and slouching in his chair. He pointed at the screen, "An octopus would be outta that in like, thirty seconds flat."

"Global Orthys is a research company Percy," Grover reminded him, straightening up to go rummage around in Percy's fridge. "What did you expect?"

"Not that," Percy grumbled, slouching further into his chair. He paused the video and pulled the articles up again, flicking through them with a wrinkled nose. "I mean, they go on and on about binary coding and enzymes and words I can't even pronounce. And it's all so boring."

"They're a genetic revival program Percy," Grover said, cracking open a cherry Coke and sitting down across from his friend. "I mean what did you expect to find? An article proclaiming that they're evil and using cloning for their own nefarious purposes?"

"Sure be nice," Percy sighed. "I'd rather dance in Rexy's cage with a meat suit on than read any more of this."

Grover choked on his Coke.

"Thanks for that terrifying image Perce," he coughed.

Percy grinned across the table, "Anytime. Come on, I need to get out of this trailer before I . . ."

"Don't say it again," Grover groaned. "I swear. Let's just go check on the raptors or something."

"Do you think they've hit raptor puberty?" Percy wondered as they walked towards the paddock. "They've started to get kind of moody. Even Ceres snapped at me the other day."

"What do you mean by 'snapped'?" Grover asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Percy. "Your kind of snapped or a normal person's kind of snapped?"

"I mean she snapped . . ."

Grover groaned. "How much skin did she get?"

"What? What makes you think she actually got me . . ."

"Because I _know_ you and this is clearly _your_ definition of snapped which means bodily harm was involved."

Percy opened his mouth to protest, more out of fear of Thalia finding out than anything else, when something brightly colored caught his attention and he turned. A car was barreling down the otherwise barren dirt road that led to the paddock, bouncing as it took the potholes too quickly and the sun glinting off its obnoxious paint.

"What the heck is that," Grover asked, which wasn't too far from what Percy was thinking.

The car pulled to stop before the confused men and Travis Stoll stuck his head out the passenger window. Behind the wheel, tall and silent as usual, sat Beckendorf.

"Like our ride?" Travis called.

"Uh," Percy said, blinking at the vehicle.

The car had clearly seen better days. It was beaten up, bumps and dings spotted its painted sides, which had long streaks in the coloring as though something hard and sharp had peeled thin layers of paint off. The bottom of the car was yellow, it probably used to be a real bright obnoxious yellow but now shone at only half its glory. Halfway up the car, the yellow turned green and then, on the hood and top of the car, long red stripes could be seen. There was some writing on the side and Percy turned his head, squinting.

"Jurassic Park," Grover read aloud.

"Pretty sweet, right!" Travis grinned. "We found it in the restricted section, in the old shell where the original park used to be. Beckendorf used his magic fingers to get it running! Wait 'til the girls see it!"

Beckendorf stared avidly at the steering wheel, grunting.

"Yeah because nothing impresses the ladies like an old garbage heap people may or may not have died in," Percy snorted.

Beckendorf's jaw clenched.

"But I mean, what do I know, I'm sure Silena'll love it," Percy hastily amended.

Beckendorf's face flushed as Travis laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, she's crazy about you. Come on boys, we were just heading into the park to take the girls to lunch and we thought we'd pick you guys up."

"Sounds great," Percy said, reaching for the door handle. Grover hesitated behind him, eyeing the car nervously.

"Bla –ah –ah, nobody _really_ died in here did they? I mean, it probably just sat in the old building collecting dust and wasn't involved in the incident at the old park right?"

Percy neatly moved to hide a long scratch mark on the side of the car, "Of course not buddy, hop on in."

Travis twisted around in his seat as Beckendorf started the car, the engine giving a low groan before coming to life, spewing a cloud of dark smoke before careening down the path. Percy hoped the sound didn't startle his girls.

"So, is Connor going to meet us there or are we picking him up too," Percy tried to ask casually.

Beckendorf gave him a sympatric look in the review mirror that told him everybody knew about the feud between him and Annabeth.

"He's meeting us there," Travis assured him. "Now, you won't believe the prank my brother and I pulled the other day, it was hilarious."

"So some of the girls had a spa escape this weekend, right? So while they were all having their mud baths or whatever, we spray painted an apple gold and tied a note to it," here Travis' grin grew, causing his features to look even more elfish than usual, "that said 'for the prettiest'. Then we left it where they would be sure to see it when they left the changing room and ran."

"Oh no," Grover said, his eyes wide.

"Oh yeah," Travis cackled. "All hell broke loose about ten minutes later. You should have heard the shouting. They turned on each like your raptors. There was crying and shouting, shoes went flying."

Travis waved his hands around to demonstrate.

"That's terrible," Grover tried to disapprove even as his lips twitched. Percy didn't even try to withhold his laughter.

Up front, Beckendorf slammed on the breaks, causing Travis to tumble against the dashboard.

"Wait," Beckendorf's deep voice sounded troubled as he handed his credentials to the guard at the entry gate. "Wasn't Silena at that escape?"

There was a kind of horrified silence.

_"Oh shit._ "

 

* * *

 

"I will file your paperwork for an entire month," Travis bargained as Beckendorf strode towards the café they were meeting the others at. "I'll— I'll— Beckendorf! — I'll do anything please just don't tell her."

"Don't tell who what?" Katie asked from under the canopy of the café, sounding exasperated.

Silena stood beside her, looking as beautiful as always, but she was holding herself stiffly and in obvious agitation. Connor peered over the girls' shoulders, his eyes wide and panicked. Beckendorf held his arm out to Silena, whose eyes widened ever so slightly as she hooked her arm through his.

"You look beautiful," Beckendorf said.

The agitation melted from Silena's shoulders in an instant, her face brightening as she curled her fingers around Beckendorf's biceps. She shot Katie a delighted look over her shoulder before turning hooded eyes back to Beckendorf.

"Why thank you, Charles, you clean up nicely yourself."

The pair disappeared into the café, a delighted flush on both of their faces.

"Dude," Connor said, thumping Travis.

"Oh, I think we're safe?" Travis guessed, peering after the pair. Katie gave them both a suspicious look as she stepped forward to greet Percy and Grover.

"I don't want to know what you two are up to, but leave Silena alone," she said fiercely.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Travis saluted, dragging his brother into the café.

"You guys settling in okay?" Katie asked as they followed the others into the café. It was the same one from that first day, with the spectacularly on point dinosaur theme.

"Oh yeah," Grover said, his eyes brightening as they sat down. "The apartment's great and I love all the amenities. There's even a little vegan restaurant right next door."

He turned and grinned at Percy at the last part. Percy laughed, shaking his head as he opened his menu.

"Good for you big guy," he said charitably as Katie laughed as well, a soft, rich sound as she patted Grover's hand.

"I'm glad," she said giving his hand one pat before turning to Percy. "And how about you Percy? You know, just because you live in the restricted area doesn't mean you can't come into the park. We don't get to see much of you."

"Ah, I've settled fine," Percy fumbled, squirming a little under her concerned, warm gaze. "The ah, girls, keep me busy and, ah, I wasn't entirely sure if I should come up – "

"Is this about Annabeth?" Silena interrupted from her spot across the table.

Her legs were thrown across Beckendorf's lap, whose face was flushed but pleased. She leaned forward to snatch Percy's hand, her perfectly manicured nails and flawless complexion a stark contract against his rough, calloused hand.

"Ah, well um," Percy said intelligently, his face growing hot.

"She can be hard to get along with at first," Silena said knowingly, "but she means well. She takes care of us all you know. There isn't a better park manager in the entire world. Or business manager period. She can be a little hard headed and stubborn sometimes."

"Sounds like someone I know," Grover muttered under his breath.

"Besides," Silena tossed her hair. "Even if Annabeth doesn't like you, it doesn't mean we feel the same. We like you. So visit us more, got it?"

She squeezed his hand with more pressure than he thought possible from her slight frame.

"Got it," Percy quickly echoed.

Apparently satisfied, she released his hand and leaned back against Beckendorf.

"Thanks," he added and was rewarded with a table full of smiles.

After lunch broke up, Beckendorf walked Silena back up to her temporary office and the Stoll brothers disappeared off to who only knows where, leaving Percy and Grover to walk Katie back to the nursery.

"We mean it, don't be a stranger," Katie said, smiling at Percy and Grover as she held the door open to the nursery.

"Or you'll send Beckendorf and Travis out to get us again?" Percy asked with a grin.

"Something like that," Katie agreed, her eyes sparkling. "You boys have a good rest of the day now. I expect to see more of you."

"Have a good day Katie," Percy laughed as she disappeared inside the nursery.

"So, that was nice huh?" Grover asked, bumping his shoulder lightly as they walked away.

"Yeah, it was," Percy agreed.

"So, you'll come up to the park more often now, right? Socialize, see people? Not hide away in your trailer, seething in jealousy as you watch cat videos."

"I socialize and see people," Percy objected. "And I got bored okay!"

Then, after a beat, added with a scowl, "I wasn't _seething_ with _jealousy_."

"Okay," Grover easily said, grinning. "Whatever you say Perce. Hey —"

Whatever else he was about to say was cut off as his cellphone started to ring. Grover glanced down at it, his face lightening up before peering guiltily up at Percy.

"Ah —"

"It's Juniper isn't it," Percy grinned. Grover blushed. "Go ahead and answer it G-man. I'll just —"

"Head back to the paddock and sulk some more?" Grover scoffed.

"— _go_ visit Ethan. You know, socialize, see people," Percy teased back, taking a few steps backward as he goaded his friend.

"I don't want you back in the paddock before dinner!" Grover called, swiping his phone to take the call.

"Yes, mother!" Percy called over his shoulder as he jogged away.

The nursery wasn't all that far away from Ethan's lab. Sure, he had to cut through the tourist crowd to get to it, but Percy grew up in New York. This was nothing. It was a nice day for a walk, he thought, sticking his hands in his pockets and turning his face towards the sun and soaking in its warmth. The crowd buzzed pleasantly around him, giggling little kids and their equally excited parents, the constant click and flash of cameras going off. He had to shoulder his way through most of it, but the excitement and adventure on the faces he passed made it hard to feel anything other than residual happiness.

"Mommy, mommy I want to see a baby dinosaur!" A little girl in front of him squealed, tugging on her mother's pant leg.

"I know honey," her slightly frazzled mother tried to placate, trying to juggle a stuffed animal, her purse, and the park map. "Just ah . . ."

"The petting zoo is just around the corner," Percy helpfully interjected, smiling at the mother and her adorable little daughter.

"Really?" The mother asked, pausing in her struggle.

"Yep, just right behind the stand over there with the blue umbrella. Can't miss it." Percy crouched before the girl, smiling, "My friend works there. You'll love her. Say, what's your favorite dinosaur?"

"T-rex!" the tiny girl shouted, eyes bright, holding her chubby fingers out like claws. "Rawr!"

Percy laughed, "Yeah Old Rexy's pretty cool, but I don't think we have any little Rexy's at the petting zoo. But the other dinosaurs are pretty cool too, I promise."

"Thank you," the mother said, taking the girl by the hand.

"No problem," Percy said, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Have fun!"

"Rawr!" The little girl exclaimed happily, waving as her mother dragged her away. Percy grinned and waved back as the pair disappeared into the crowd.

"That was nice of you."

Percy jerked in surprise, spinning on his heels and gaping at the woman behind him. Annabeth Chase stared back, a cup of coffee in each hand. As Percy stared wide-eyed at her, probably doing a pretty good impersonation of a deer caught in the headlights, she extended one of the cups towards him. He stared at that too.

"It's coffee, Jack— Percy," she said, as if this explained the whole strange ordeal.

"Um," was all he managed to say as the warm cup was forced into his hands, "it's not poisoned is it?"

"Why would I poison my only raptor trainer?" Annabeth asked, exasperated, rolling her eyes. "No. I was wondering if we could talk."

Percy examined her from over the rim of the coffee cup. Her face was as professional as always, although her eyes might have been a tad softer, sincerer. He waved her on with the cup. She motioned her head and he fell into step beside her as they walked through the park.

"Thalia called me the other day," Annabeth started without preamble.

"She's your friend right?" Percy asked, taking a sip of the coffee. It was horribly bitter, far too little cream and sugar in it. Of course, Percy never took much to coffee, he much preferred to get his caffeine from those frozen sugary diabetes-in-a-cup things, as Grover liked to call them.

"Yes," Annabeth said shortly. Then her lips twitched, the corners pulling down in agitation as she held the coffee up to them. "My best friend."

"She was ... concerned," Annabeth said slowly. "About us."

That sounded vaguely ominous. Percy half scowled, half frowned down at her, "I don't call and cry to Thalia if that's what you're implying. In fact, I don't tell her much of anything. She gets most of her information from Grover and Ethan, the traitors."

The last part of that he huffed in a whisper, more to himself than the park manager as he braved another sip of the coffee.

"I know," Annabeth said much to his surprise. At his look of surprise, she waved her hand. "It doesn't matter anyway. She was just concerned. And she said some things that got me thinking."

She took a long drink of her coffee, looking pensive. She abruptly stopped walking, twisting around to face him. Percy ungracefully stumbled to a halt and let her serious gray eyes meet his. Her jaw was clenched and face set, like someone going off to war.

"I can be ... a little hard to get along with sometimes," Annabeth admitted and it sounded like she would rather have her teeth pulled than say anything else but she persevered. "Running this park gets to me sometimes. It's a high maintenance and high-risk job. And not only am I young but I'm also a woman, which just makes this job that much harder because people are always watching what I do, waiting for me to mess up. So I run things my way and micromanage this park because it _works_. I don't let anything stop me.

"That's why I was irritated when Zeus brought you on without my consent. It was like a slap to my face and an insult to everything I've worked so hard for. I admit I took it a bit ... personally and took a little of that out on you. You were an easy target. Your lack of professionalism, lack of credentials and carefree attitude didn't help," she glared at him and he just shrugged helplessly because yeah that was true.

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly helping," Percy freely admitted. "So where does that leave us?"

"I thought we could start over," Annabeth said all business like. "I'll keep an open mind and you'll be more professional. For Thalia."

She had to add that, Percy mused. Not that he would have turned down an olive branch anyway, but he definitely would have given her a harder time about it. Now all he could think about was Thalia's weary face. Percy sighed and then, with that image in mind, decided to take the plunge.

"Well then, hello I'm Percy Jackson, your new raptor trainer who is definitely underqualified but doing a damn good job anyway and is striving to be more professional," Percy said, holding out his hand with mock graveness.

Annabeth heaved a great sigh, as though severely put upon, but there was a small smile on her face as she grasped his hand in a firm handshake, "Hello Percy, I'm Annabeth Chase, your _boss_ and park manager."

"Nice to meet you," Percy said serenely with a straight face. "I'm sure we'll get along fabulously."

"Don't oversell it," Annabeth snorted, releasing his hand. "I'll be stopping by the paddock from now on for updates."

"Every day?" Percy asked, wrinkling his nose.

"God no, the raptors are hardly the only dinosaurs in this park," Annabeth huffed, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I've got to run. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me Jack— I mean Percy."

"Thank you for being honest ... and the coffee," Percy said, tipping the half drank cup at her.

"Don't go in the paddock by yourself," Annabeth called in lieu of a proper dismissal as she put the phone to her ear and started walking away.

"Who me?" Percy called after her, grinning. "Never."

He was still snickering to himself when he finally made his way to Ethan's lab, tossing the half drank coffee in the trash along the way.

"Hey Nakamura," Percy called, sticking his head inside the lab and ignoring the disgruntled looks the other scientists shot him. "It's feeding time for the girls, chop, chop."

A moment later, Ethan was dragging Percy out of the laboratory with a scowl firmly in place. To the average passerby, it might look like displeasure, but Percy was like, eighty-five percent positive it was just a front to mask the fact that he was glad Percy rescued him from a boring night of binary coding or whatever.

"I don't come to every feeding you know," Ethan grumbled, dragging Percy along by the collar of his shirt with a surprisingly strong grip for a guy who, prior to Percy's arrival, only saw the sun every year or so.

"Well yeah, but I need a ride and you needed to escape so win-win," Percy said cheerfully, wrenching himself free from the scientist's grasp. "By the way, we need to pick up Grover."

Ethan heaved a great sigh as he dug his keys out of his pocket.

"And _why_ aren't you taking your _car_?"

"Because both mine and Grover's cars are at the paddock," Percy said sliding into Ethan's pristinely kept white car as soon as the door unlocked. "Beckendorf grabbed us for lunch and dude you should see what he's driving. It's one of those cars from the old park the Stoll brothers found that he fixed up."

"I'm pretty sure Annabeth forbid us from messing with the old park," Ethan said, starting the car. "On behalf of it being distasteful and all."

"And by doing that she all but asked the Stoll brothers to go mess with it," Percy said, causing the scientist tosnort.

They picked up Grover and headed to the paddock.

"So we're not doing live prey tonight right?" Grover asked suspiciously, "I can't look Pithys in the eye some nights because I know we just sacrificed one of her kindred to the raptors."

"Their sacrifices are recognized and honored," Percy said gravely. Grover kicked the back of his chair.

"For the greater cause of education," Ethan joined in, giving Percy a rare small grin.

"But we're not—"

"No live prey tonight," Percy assured him. "Just a few exercises and regular, already dead, frozen and thawed meat of questionable origins."

Grover looked relieved. The paddock was silent when they pulled up, but as the men got out of the car and approached the lightly buzzing fence, four shadows emerged from the forest. Juno led the pack, her head held haughtily as she glanced, seemingly disinterested, at the men out of the corner of her eye.

"They're growing quicker than before," Grover said fretfully as Percy pulled on his gear.

"They've hit puberty," Ethan confirmed, tilting his head to the side as Diane prowled the edge of the paddock, flicking her tail as she hissed.

Percy groaned, "That's what I was afraid of. Every once in a while, they get in little moods, even Ceres."

Ceres' head perked at her name, eyes wide and innocent like _who me_?

"And it'll only get worse," Ethan said, walking along the edge of the paddock as Diane repeated the motion on the other side. "Hopefully, they'll settle as their hormones calm down but be aware that their aggression levels will spike. They may start doing little things to test your authority and strength."

Percy stared mournfully at his girls. "Aw, girls don't you love me?"

"They won't try to usurp you until they've reached their full size," Ethan clarified. "So we don't have to worry about them intentionally killing you."

"Intentionally?" Grover repeated weakly and Percy shot Ethan a dirty look. Great. Looks like he could expect a phone call from Thalia tonight.

Ethan gave a little shrug. "Just be careful," the scientist offered.

"It's almost like he cares," Percy told Minerva, who had slunk close to the gate, waiting for him to come in. The raptor gave him an unimpressed look, cawing at him in irritation for his slowness.

Diane whipped around from where she had been sizing Ethan up, loudly echoing the call. Juno snarled, causing both Minerva and Ceres to duck their heads low. Diane however, huffed a breath through her nose and stayed where she was. Juno shrieked, taking a step towards the insubordinate raptor. Diane took half a step backward, stopping before her tail hit the electric fence. Her cold little eyes flickered briefly to the fence, then back at Juno, realizing she was cornered.

Juno shrieked again, claws fully extended and feathers ruffled.

Diane lowered her head. Satisfied, Juno swiped at Diane's side, who hissed but took the abuse.

Percy watched the little display as he stepped inside the paddock, letting nature take its course. Juno wouldn't seriously hurt her nest sisters so he wasn't too concerned.

"We done?" He asked and Juno hissed, striding over to him with her head held high.

She stood between his knee and hip now, Percy noted sadly, how much longer until she was full grown? She chirped at him and he obligingly mimicked the sound back. Pleased, Juno bent over to pick at something caught in her feathers.

"Alright girls just a few quick exercises tonight," he said conversationally. "We need to work on sharp corners. And running off some of that icky puberty energy you've got. So, ready to get started?"

Ceres chirped happily, butting against Percy. Percy barely managed to keep his balance, swaying slightly at the force his littlest girl used. He cleared his throat, lightly nudging Ceres back as he tried to correct his balance. Diane's beady eyes locked onto him, her head swaying with his body.

"Get moving Diane," Percy said fiercely, narrowing his eyes at her as he brought out his alpha voice.

Diane huffed but followed Juno as the pack set out across the paddock.

The route Percy had the girls run wound around the paddock, a few sharp curves added in after the Pithys incident to improve their reaction time. The girls picked up on the exercise almost instantly when he introduced it after Pithys' miraculous performance. He was convinced they could run it in their sleep by now. Ceres was the quickest of the four, but she couldn't navigate the turns as quickly as her sisters so she never emerged first. Minerva handled the curves perfectly but her speed was lacking.

Juno was the Goldilocks of the race. Her speed and agility allowed her to outperform her sisters as she honed her skills to deadly perfection, conquering the course with frightening speed and accuracy.

"Thirty seconds faster than last time," Percy murmured as Juno cawed victoriously as she seized the prize at the end of her race.

"I was watching the cameras," Ethan's voice buzzed from Percy's earpiece and the raptor trainer looked up to find the man and Grover standing on the boardwalk above their heads, watching.

"They practice at night," Ethan continued. "Juno most of all. She leads the girls in practice runs. And not just on your course, but around the entire paddock."

"Yeah I know," Percy whispered back. "They're trying circles on their own. I didn't teach them that."

Minerva came in second and scooped up her own treat, settling a safe distance away from the beta to gorge herself. Ceres was a heartbeat behind her and whined pitifully to find the two best pieces of meat gone. She was sniffing the final two, nudging one with the end of her snout, when Diane appeared. The aggressive raptor snarled and pounced on her little sister. Ceres gave a startled shriek as Diane's claws sunk into her skin, long streaks of red marring her scales.

"Hey," Percy shouted, stomping heavily as he started for the girls, "that's too hard Diane, you're hurting her."

Diane shrieked, letting go of Ceres to twist around. She crouched low to the ground, her body tense, claws extended and jaw unhinged as she cried at him. She was in attack position. Percy tensed, drawing himself up to his full height in alarm. Diane pounced before he had a chance to snap at her, warn her off with his voice or the clicker.

He knew better than to step backward, his muscles tensing as he prepared to shove the raptor to the ground, knowing he had to subdue her quickly if he wanted the girls to ever respect him again — when a blur of blue flashed.

Juno pinned Diane to the ground, her jaws encasing her sister's throat, one claw resting below the powerful death grip and the other resting over Diane's heart. She was hissing even as she clung on, her claws drawing blood. She gave a little shake and Diane cried out in pain. Juno unhinged her jaw enough to give a bloodcurdling shriek before chomping down again.

Diane went limp.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Movement ahead caught Percy's eye but he didn't dare move to check it.

Slowly, Juno released Diane's neck, but kept her claws over her sister's weak points. She gave Diane a long look before turning to Percy, her gaze questioning.

"Good girl Juno," Percy said lowly. "Very good girl. Best girl."

Juno made a low, pleased noise. She snapped her jaws inches from Diane's face one last time before climbing off of her sister. She stalked over to Ceres, who lowered her head in submission. Juno chirped, nuzzling Ceres once before moving onto Minerva and repeated the motion. Finally, she approached Percy, who keep himself tall and imposing.

"Good girl," he repeated, gently tapping her with his boot.

Juno chittered. She turned, her tail lightly whipping across his calves as she slowly made one more pass by Diane. Diane kept her eyes shut, her chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths. Juno snorted then scooped up Diane's cut of meat and in one gulp, swallowed it.

Satisfied, Juno curled into the dirt. The mood broke. Ceres pounced on her treat and Minerva returned to her own. Diane stayed still.

"Percy?" Grover's slightly shaking voice sparked in Percy's ear and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to flinch.

He looked up.

Grover was paler than a ghost, gripping the railing tightly as he peered down at his friend. One of Ethan's hands was on Grover's arm, the other held up to one of the guards … who had his weapon drawn. As Percy looked out, he realized all five guards assigned to his paddock had their weapons drawn all, four long sleek barrels pointed at Diane's prone form and one on his best girl.

Percy narrowed his eyes, raising his hand and then lowering it, signaling them to lower their weapons. The guard next to Ethan glanced at the scientist, who nodded. One by one, the guards lowered their weapons.

Percy let out a long breath.

"Well then," he said.

He left Diane alone. She had been humiliated by her beta already and punishment had been served. Her eyes opened a crack as he walked and he sent her his best alpha look. Her eyes slid closed again and Percy felt like he could breathe again. She still respected his authority.

Percy stayed to wrap the night up. The other three girls followed him around with their heads held high, like _look at us, we're good girls_ while Diane's stayed down.

"Good girl," Percy reminded Juno as he prepared to leave. His best girl chittered back, ruffling her feathers in pleasure.

Grover and Ethan waited for him on the other side of the dual gates.

"I'm okay, she never ever finished the pounce," Percy said, holding up his hands as the gates slid shut behind him.

"Let's talk somewhere else, they can sense fear," Ethan said, grabbing Percy by the arm the second he cleared the gates. He pulled Percy all the way to his car, Grover tagging along behind.

"That was too close," Grover said, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

"It wasn't really even that close," Percy denied, adrenaline still flooding his system as he bounced on his heels in agitation. "She was just irritated. If she had jumped, she was off-balanced enough that I would have caught her no problem. She's still small enough for me to pin down without much difficulty."

"If she does it again," Ethan said, "you need to get her face down as quickly as possible. Claws in the dirt and facing away from your body. There's a lot of muscle in her, even in this juvenile body. For god's sake, sit on her, put your knee on her neck and _keep her down._ "

"Got it," Percy said, nodding. "So ah, what was that?"

"Irritation, like you said," Ethan said with a wave of his hand. "And like I said earlier, they might start testing your position as alpha. Diane knows enough that she can't usurp you, especially with Juno in the way. If anything, Juno will be the one to usurp you. Diane's just testing. Her hormones are raging, her adrenaline was up from the run, and she was irritated. She saw herself as inferior, little Ceres is edging her way up the ranks. So she lashed out."

"She'll behave for a while," Ethan explained, "she's been humiliated and put in her place. The other sisters will give her the cold shoulder for a while and you need to follow their lead. She has to work her way back into the pack's good graces. She shouldn't try anything like this for a long time. Tthe others saw their beta backing their alpha."

"We should be safe," Ethan sighed, "for now."

"That wasn't _safe_ ," Grover snapped, glaring at the scientist.

"Nothing _happened_ ," Percy pressed.

"She _attacked_ you," Grover argued.

"It could have been much worse," Ethan agreed, interrupting. "But Percy was aware and watching. If Juno hadn't intervened, he probably could have neutralized Diane without much trouble. He probably would have gotten a few scratches from it but nothing serious."

"If those trigger happy idiots had shot my girls," Percy huffed, glaring over his shoulder.

"They're just doing their jobs," Ethan said.

"I say they should have shot," Grover grumbled, crossing his arms.

"No, the guns are a last resort," Ethan said firmly, "we need to keep the girls' trust in Percy."

"And what's the last resort?" Grover retorted. "When Percy's dead?"

"I'm not dead," Percy loudly interrupted. "And they're _not_ going to shoot my girls. I got this Grover. Juno intervened, but even if she _hadn't_ I would've been okay."

"You don't know that," Grover argued, crossing his arms and setting his jaw.

"You've got a knife right?" Ethan asked and Percy nodded, pulling his old fishing knife from his pocket and tossing it the scientist. Ethan caught it and turned the knife over in his hands, nodding approvingly. "It'll act as a makeshift claw. The girls will see it that way anyway. Use it if you have to and don't be afraid to do damage. With a human's strength, you can't do that much damage anyway and you need to keep the girls in line."

"Got it," Percy said, taking the knife back and tucking it in his pocket. He turned to Grover. "They're velociraptors, Grover, they're always dangerous. Nothing's going to change that. We knew that from the very beginning. And I know you don't like it, but you have to trust Ethan and me okay? I'm here to train these girls while I can and take care of them when I can't anymore. When it comes time for me to step down as alpha, I will. I do what's best for my girls, Grover."

Grover grunted, still looking upset. "Yeah, but how will we know when it's the right time? After one of them takes a chunk out of you?"

"Our sharks did worse," Percy reminded him.

Grover chewed on his lip. "I don't like it," he declared. "They're much smarter than sharks."

"Just a little," Percy grinned. "But don't worry, Ethan's smarter."

They both turned to the scientist, who raised an eyebrow.

"I am," he confirmed and even Grover gave a reluctant chuckle at that.

"Don't think I'm not telling Thalia about this," Grover warned as he climbed into his car.

"I don't suppose there's any good in asking you not to?" Percy asked, leaning over the window as Grover started the car.

"Nope," Grover said, popping the 'p'.

"Alright," Percy sighed, backing up. "Give her my love then."

He watched with a heavy heart as his friends both pulled away, giving a halfhearted wave as their tail lights disappeared from sight. As he trudged his way back to the trailer, thinking unhappily that he should probably send footage of tonight's action to Annabeth before Grover or worse, Thalia, got ahold of her, his phone rang. For a terrifying second, he thought it was Thalia, already calling to yell at him. He glanced at the screen.

Incoming call from Poseidon Olympian.

Percy clicked the red end button and went to send that email.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nerd time: let's talk about size. JW/JP is very off about velociraptor size. In fact, the JW/JP raptors are based on a completely different animal, the deinonychus, but for some reason chose to call them velociraptors. Regardless, neither animal gets as tall as JW/JP depicts them. So I was conflicted on how big Percy's girls should get. In the end, genetic modification wins: in my headcanon the scientist want to make the raptors as close as possible to how people think they should look as opposed to how they should look. So our girls will be in between the size of a real velociraptor/deinonychus and the movie adaptations - so they will be eye level with the average human's chest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The subject line read 'Okay now don't freak' and the sender was none other than Percy Jackson.
> 
> "Oh that can't be good," Annabeth muttered.

Holidays never really were Annabeth's thing. As a child, she would wait up by the window, waiting for the mother who would never come or sitting on the sidelines at her father's house, feeling like an intruder as her step-brothers opened their presents. College was only marginally better, at least exams gave her an excuse for not returning home. Holidays at Jurassic World though? Now that was the real nightmare. Olympian insisted on capitalizing on the holiday season so as the calendar grew deeper they brought out the festive decorations and themed paraphernalia. Special shows were orchestrated, holiday music blared from their loudspeakers. As if the logistics of all that wasn't bad enough, the holiday crowds were just the icing on the cake. Their attendance spiked between November and the New Year. It was a complete and utter nightmare.

The weather didn't help, Annabeth thought sourly, her lips twisting as she sat down at her desk. It didn't matter how many Christmas tunes they played or Santa hats they put on the infants at the petting zoo, the temperatures never dropped below seventy. She blew out a long breath, running her fingers through her hair before reaching out and picking up the coffee that sat steaming at the end of her desk.

"It's only October," she tried to console herself as her computer came to life, the screen slowly glowing until it was a brilliant blue, the Jurassic World logo flashing across the screen before requesting her credentials. Taking a sip of coffee, she deftly typed her password in before heading straight to email.

She idly clicked through the mess, not quite awake enough to find the energy to properly sort through the mess when an email caught her attention. The subject line read _'Okay now don't freak'_ and the sender was none other than Percy Jackson.

"Oh that can't be good," Annabeth muttered, setting her coffee down as she opened the email and then the attachment it came with.

A video came to life, a feed from one of their surveillance cameras. It overlooked the paddock, pointing down at the figures moving below. The angle gave her a good look at the back of Jackso – Percy's head. His hands were resting on his hips, watching the two raptors who sat at the edge of the video. It was Juno and Minerva, Annabeth recognized, and it looked like they were eating. No, three raptors, she almost missed the little one, Ceres, who was sniffing the ground. But where was the fourth raptor, Diane?

Her question was answered a second later as the missing raptor careened into view. The raptor shrieked, jumping her sister. As the little raptor cried out she heard Percy's voice, slightly distorted by the video, calling out;

_"Hey! That's too hard Diane, you're hurting her."_

Don't, Annabeth thought in panic as Percy stepped forward, but of course, he didn't listen. Diane released Ceres and turned on the raptor trainer instead, hissing and crouching low. Annabeth's heart leapt into her throat, her hand already going to her phone, to call Percy or Grover or someone, oh god – when suddenly Diane was on her side, shrieking, as Juno viciously pinned her to the ground. Annabeth sat back in her chair, her heart still pounding, as Juno continued her dominance act. When the raptor turned to Percy for guidance, she closed her eyes in relief.

_Thank God,_ she thought silently as the video skipped and showed Percy leaving the paddock perfectly unharmed.

' _Didn't call Thalia,_ ' the message attached to the email read. ' _But Grover probably will. Just a heads up. I'm okay. She didn't even get close to me._ '

Annabeth checked the timestamp for the email and grimaced when she realized it was sent last night. Her fingers twitched as she got to her feet, knowing she had to go down to the raptor paddock. Thalia hadn't called her yet, but that didn't really mean anything. Just as she was grabbing her car keys, coffee in the other hand, the skype box opened on her computer, signaling an incoming call.

_Luke Castellan._

"Sorry Luke," she said as she typed out a quick message. "But now's not a good time."

She logged off her computer and strode out of her office, nodding at Connor as she passed.

"Connor, I'm heading to the raptor paddock," she told him briskly.

"What? Really?" the man sputtered in surprise, accidently knocking the red plastic pterodactyl off his desk in his haste to turn around.

"Yes really," Annabeth huffed, a little offended at his surprise. "There was an incident last night. Percy's alright," she added quickly as worry began to spread across Connor's face. "Percy's fine, they didn't actually hurt him. But one of the raptors did try and attack him so I'm going to go down and sort things out. I should be back in a few hours."

Connor nodded, stooping down to pick up the fallen dinosaur and place it back in its rightful place on his desk. "Okay, got it. Tell Perce hi for me and be sure not to get eaten!"

"Ha, ha," Annabeth said humorlessly as she stepped into the elevator. Connor gave her two thumbs up and a cheeky smile as the doors slide shut. If it made her smile well there as no one around to tell.

The drive out to the raptor paddock was actually quite peaceful. There were no great crowds of guests, or calls of employees, emails to be answered or calls to make. Just her and the sound of the gravel under her tires. It was nice, and Annabeth found herself relaxing as she drove further away from the park. She pulled her car next to Grover's, killing the engine and surveying the paddock before her. Her entrance hadn't gone unnoticed. Standing by the gate, Grover was watching her with something like satisfaction on his face.

As she got out of the car, he turned towards the cage, making a vague gesture like _'see?'_

"Hello Annabeth," Percy called out from inside the paddock. As she walked closer she could see him, arms crossed and avoiding his best friend's gaze as he smiled at her.

"Good morning Percy, Grover," she said nodding. "I just got your email."

"The one where Diane tried to kill him?" Grover grumbled, crossing his arms.

"The one where Juno stopped Diane before she so much as took a step," Percy asked loudly and Grover scowled.

"The one from last night," Annabeth replied ever diplomatically, rolling her eyes. "Where Diane looked like she was thinking about attacking you but never got the chance to make up her mind because Juno was too busy asserting her dominance."

"Yeah, she's a good girl," Percy said, the first half of her sentence clearly going right over the ridiculous hat that sat atop his head as he gazed fondly at the blue raptor.

Juno seemed to realize he was talking about her. She held herself up higher, strutting like a peacock. Ceres and Minerva were both within a stone's throw of the proud raptor, Ceres' beady eyes watching Juno's little dance while Minerva disinterestedly cleaned her feathers. But where was Diane?

"Over there," Percy said, jerking his head towards the edge of the forest in response to her unasked question.

In the shadow of the trees, Diane crouched low. She watched her sisters move around, head close to the ground. Annabeth noticed how Jack – _Percy_ was very careful not to look at the raptor, keeping his eyes locked on Annabeth.

"She's getting the cold shoulder," Percy explained, "because she's a bad girl. Ethan says we've got to let her work her way back into the pack's good graces because she defied the hierarchy or something. Ceres is pretty stoked, she's no longer the lowest member of the pack."

As if on cue, Ceres chirped happily, head whipping towards her alpha. To Annabeth's immense surprise, Percy mimicked the sound back at her, an almost alarmingly similar echo of the raptor's call.

"Ethan also said that Diane won't try a thing like that for a while and neither should the rest of the girls," Percy said, turning back to Annabeth after giving Ceres one more fond look.

"And he also said that eventually Juno would challenge you for the alpha's position," Grover said loudly, arms still crossed and expression disgruntled.

"Yes, Ethan said as much when we first started," Annabeth said.

Grover continued to glare at Percy, who continued to look anywhere but at his friend. Grover concern was…almost cute, touching, and borderline brotherly. And Percy avoided Grover's ire like a child avoiding their parents' eyes after getting into trouble. It was a new side to both of their characters she'd never been privy to before and she soaked it in with interest, cataloging and tucking the information away for later. Maybe, despite how woefully unprepared and ill-fit they were for the position that should never have been thrust upon them, they weren't a bad type to have around.

Thalia liked Percy at least, and that had to count for something.

"What are you doing with the girls today?" Annabeth asked.

"Live prey runs," Percy said, his eyes finally flickering over to Grover before skidding almost comically away under the stern glare he received.

"They can catch them now I've seen," Annabeth said, nodding as she pulled out her phone and flicked through the last few digital reports they sent her. "Their agility, balance, and coordination have all significantly improved."

"Oh yeah," Percy agreed, nodding. Annabeth couldn't help but be distracted by the bobbing fishing lures on his hat. "They learn quickly. And they know what they need to learn."

Jackson peered at her from under the brim of his hat, his face slightly obscured by the fence between them but none of that distracted from the pure seriousness that suddenly descended over his usually casual expression. "They know when they do something wrong and what to work on. Sometimes they don't know how to fix it and need me to help, but sometimes . . . sometimes they just learn on their own. We've got footage of them practicing at night, running in circles or tracking scents around the paddock."

No more than a foot from Jackson's side, Juno sniffed the air and turned, her narrow reptilian face looking right at Annabeth.

"Problem-solving," Annabeth murmured, "and fixing their own faults. That's terrifying."

"It's _amazing_ ," Percy the lunatic said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips as he nodded down at his girls. At Annabeth's incredulous look, his smile faded a little, his brow puckering as if he didn't understand why she wasn't sharing his enthusiasm.

"I mean," he said, eyebrows rising, "it's very not-amazing from an I'm-a-little-insignificant-human-and-they-might-want-to-eat-me-one-day kind of perspective. But, like, from a raptor perspective? Or a, look-at-these-incredible-animals-that-exist perspective? That's _awesome_. They learn so much and they do so _well_ , and realize when they're not good at something? I mean, I've met plenty of humans that won't admit they aren't good at something and refuse to get better, but these girls? Nope, they realize when they suck at something and then try to do better. From an evolutionary, animalistic perspective? _Awesome_."

His eyes were shining by the end of the not-so-eloquent but plenty passionate speech and Annabeth couldn't help but nod her head thoughtfully in return.

"Biologically, it is pretty amazing," she admitted.

"I mean, it's like when people get all afraid of sharks for their teeth and speed and stealth. Like, yeah it's scary and dangerous and could kill you, but they're just animals trying to survive. Doing their own thing before we came along."

"You really liked working with the sharks didn't you?" Annabeth asked and part of her was amused by his almost childlike excitement.

"Hell yeah, I love sharks," came the enthusiastic response.

Juno gave a throaty caw and the sound echoed in the paddock. In the forest behind them, a few startled bird took the skies, squawking in fear. Annabeth clenched her jaw at the cry, internalizing her own fear as she suspiciously eyed the raptor. The raptor ignored her, beady eyes fixed on her trainer.

"Alpha loves you too!" Percy immediately assured her. "Just as much as sharks."

Juno threw her head back and cawed once more. Percy frowned down at her before side eyeing Annabeth.

"I think she's actually trying to tell me to shut up and let the prey loose and not angling for validation," he admitted. "She's a bit of an asshole like that sometimes. Don't worry Juno, I still love you."

Juno didn't look concerned and actually, tilting her head, Annabeth rather thought the raptor just looked irritated. Huh. She could sympathize.

"If that raptor's getting annoyed, isn't that a good time to _leave the paddock?_ " Annabeth asked firmly.

Grover made a noise of affirmation, gesturing towards Annabeth as Jackson blinked at them, then at Juno.

"Yeah, I should probably feed them," Percy said, their concerns going right over his head.

"Do you see what I have to put up with?" Grover asked, sighing heavily. "Just makes sure he doesn't get eaten. I'm going to go hit my head against something, repeatedly."

Annabeth didn't quite know how to respond to that and instead just watched in confusion as the man walked away, muttering to himself.

"Should I be concerned?" She asked when Jackson made it passed both sets of doors after securing the girls in their pre-exercise cages.

"About Grover?" Percy asked, grinning as he looked off to where the man disappeared, "Nah. He can spare the brain cells. Besides, he was just looking for an excuse to get away from the exercise. He's a vegan you know, it wouldn't be very good for his health to watch cute little woodland creatures get hunted down and eaten."

"I see," Annabeth said, although she really didn't. They stared at each other, Annabeth fiddling with the phone at her side as Jackson rocked back on his heels.

"So, ah, I'm going to go start the exercise then," he said after a few awkward moments of silence.

"Yeah that'd be good," Annabeth agreed.

"Is this where you tell me to just pretend you're not here?" He asked with a weak smile as she followed him up onto the boardwalk.

"That only ever makes things worse," Annabeth said. "It's going to be awkward for a while. We'll make it work."

"For Thalia?" He echoed, giving her a small grin as he fiddled with the controls above the paddock.

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'for our sanity'," Annabeth replied dryly. That got her a small snort, but it was short lived as silence descended once more.

Annabeth was prepared for the awkwardness that she knew would come after their little reconciliation, but being prepared and actually waiting it out were two very different things. Jackson fidgeted, obviously discomforted as he got the exercise in order.

"Alright girls," he called down. "Ready?"

Annabeth didn't know if that was for the girls' benefit or to calm himself as Jackson released the prey's hatch. There was a sort of deadly silence as the creature tore across the paddock, as if the whole world were holding its breath. The click of the raptors' doors unhinging a minute later was like a gunshot. Juno emerged first, angling her head up as she tasted the air. She swished her tail and Minerva stepped forward to silently follow the beta as they vanished into the bushes. Ceres went the other way, her tail disappearing into the dark cover of the trees and Diane sulked behind her.

Annabeth barely resisted a shudder at the collected attack. It was a thousand times more organized than the first exercise where the girls just took off of their own accord. She glanced at Jackson out of the corner of her eye. The lunatic was leaning against the railing, peering with a curious expression into the paddock.

Unable to just stand there and wait, Annabeth pulled up the feeds for the raptor paddock on her phone. She flicked through the feed, trying to catch sight of the girls. There was movement in camera three and her fingers hovered over the image. The leaves swayed in the light breeze, lazily waving in the air, but there was no sign of raptor or prey so she flicked to the next one. When she got to the last one and still hadn't sighted the raptors, she frowned. Even though she _knew_ the girls were in the paddock, she glanced up.

The paddock doors were still firmly shut, the fence buzzing lightly, and one raptor trainer glancing curiously at her.

"I can't catch them on the camera feeds," she said, feeling like she should explain.

"They camouflage pretty good, even Juno who's got that bright strip of blue down her back. Here, let me look."

He stepped closer, peering over her shoulder at the phone's little screen. Annabeth obligingly held it up and flicked through the feeds once more, slowly this time.

"Wait, what was that?" She asked, frowning as she stopped on camera four's feed. Percy leaned closer.

"Looks like Ceres," he said, which –

"You can't know that," she declared even as she squinted at the image. The large green bush in the frame looked slightly discolored, and the branches seemed to move in the opposite direction of the wind.

"Definitely Ceres," Jackson repeated and she didn't have to look at him to know he was starting to scowl. The bush rustled and a pair of eyes shined out.

"Tell me how you know," Annabeth asked instead, deciding a little bit of good faith wouldn't be amiss. Maybe he really did know. Travis seemed to know whenever his gallimimus herd was about to stampede, so maybe Jackson could tell which raptor was hiding in the bush.

"Minerva would be able to stand perfectly still," Percy explained, "and Juno would know better than to move in the opposite direction of the wind. Diane can't stand still at all, she's usually the stealth ambusher but she's on timeout this week so she probably won't be included in the hunt at all. That leaves Ceres."

"How do you know Juno can tell which way the wind's blowing?"

"I mean, I don't really," Jackson admitted and Annabeth raised an eyebrow, turning just enough so he could see it.

"Shut up," he said but his voice was light and good natured, and before she turned back to the screen, he flashed her a smile.

"Professionalism," Annabeth said, tsking her tongue.

"I professionally ask you to shut up," Percy amended. "But I guess I don't really know, it's just kind of a feeling. She never rattles bushes or branches in a direction that the wind wouldn't. I guess she could when I'm not watching her, or maybe she always gets lucky. She didn't always do it, it's kind of a recent thing I've noticed. So, ah, maybe I just think she's smarter than she really is, or – "

"Or she realizes which way the wind blows and knows to blend in better she can move with it," Annabeth finished for him.

"Yeah."

Ceres' nose back into the bush and somewhere off screen there was the shriek of a distressed animal that was sharply cut off.

"Juno or Minerva must've got it while Ceres herded it into place," Jackson said casually as Annabeth shut the feed down, not wanting to see anything else.

Phone still held out before her, Annabeth realized Percy was standing practically on top of her. The lures on his hat swayed next to her head as he leaned over, the heat of his body searing into her side, his shoulder pressed heavily against her's. Seemingly oblivious to their closeness, he hummed as she shut the feed off, Annabeth could feel the vibrations as they rumbled in his throat, before stepping away.

"That was quicker than I expected. So they work together as a pack now to take down prey?" She asked as Jackson leaned over the railing to peer into the paddock.

"Yeah, and pretty well too. Juno leads, obviously. Minerva and Ceres usually do the herding, corralling the creature into a place where it can't escape. Juno will then scare the creature right into Diane's arms, or the other way around. Ethan wants to try with bigger prey and see how they take that down."

"Like deer or something?" Annabeth asked.

"I mean, sure, I think that's what he was thinking, but a deer really isn't all that big of a challenge for a raptor. I mean, they're meant to take down other dinosaurs with tough leather skin and horns and whatnots. Not little flimsy deer."

"Unfortunately, we don't raise dinosaur livestock," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "That'd be a thousand-dollar meal you know."

"Yeah, because that'd be out of Zeus' budget right?" Percy snorted.

Annabeth couldn't help it, her lips twitched a little. "As a matter of fact, it is out of our budget."

"Bet if he stopped spending so much money on the private jet he takes everywhere there'd be enough," Percy scoffed and Annabeth couldn't help but choke back a laugh.

"He takes the damn thing everywhere!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "Did you know when he first bought the park, the delay in opening was because they had to move an entire _paddock_ to make room for the runway for his damn jet?"

Jackson's shoulders shook and he flashed her that lopsided grin, "You think that's bad? He once landed the jet in the middle of a strawberry farm Thalia and I were at."

"I bet his PR people loved that, oh my god what was he thinking?" Annabeth laughed, shaking her head.

Jackson's smile faded a little and he rocked back on his heels, looking out over the paddock. "I think he missed her," Percy said softly.

And like that, the good mood evaporated. Percy didn't elaborate and Annabeth didn't push. She knew the Olympian family was a messy one and whatever happened in that strawberry field was a story Thalia would have to tell. Annabeth followed the raptor trainer's gaze and found his girls had returned. Juno's jaw was red and she dropped a mangled carcass in the dirt, staring proudly up at her alpha. Jackson's lips twitched.

"Good girl Juno."

_Ping_.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow as she pulled out her phone, glancing at the report that flashed across her screen. It was from Connor and read:

_Um, cameras near the back of the island caught something weird?_

Below that line of text there was a picture. Annabeth doubled clicked to enlarge it. In the corner of the picture were a set of latitudes and longitudes, the camera's position, and the set here told her the photo was taken on the far side of the island. At first, Annabeth couldn't see what was weird, scanning the tree line and the short sandbar that led to the ocean without finding anything out of the ordinary. Then she spotted the dark blob in the corner. She frowned, holding the phone closer to her face. Whatever it was, the shape was mangled and bleached from its time in the ocean.

Another line of text followed the picture:

_The on-scene-ers think it's a carcass of some sort that just washed up?_

"Trouble?" Jackson asked when she finally looked up from her phone.

"No, at least I don't think so," she said. Then she paused, tilting her head to the side as she remembered just who stood before her. She examined the former marine biologist with shrewd eyes. He looked uncomfortable. "Actually, you just might be the person I want to ask. Something washed up on shore not too far from here. We think it might be a carcass of some kind, but it's mangled and bleached. Is that something you'd expect to naturally occur?"

"Oh," Percy said, looking genuinely surprised at her apparent trust in his maritime knowledge. "Yeah, it actually happens all the time, especially with the bigger mammals. The air in their lungs keep them afloat and as they decay they bloat, just like any other animal. So if those gasses aren't released from the body, say when sharks or other predators start eating the carcass, then it will stay afloat. If it's close enough to the shore before scavengers get a proper hold of it, then more than likely it will wash ashore. Happens from time to time."

"That," Annabeth said, nodding appreciatively, "was very well said. I'm impressed."

"I don't know if I've been insulted or complimented," Jackson said, blinking down at his girls as though they'd help him out.

"I have to go take a look anyway, but I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Annabeth said, returning to her business mode as she started down the boardwalk stairs and back onto solid ground. "I'm glad you're okay and I'll be speaking with Ethan about their hormonal behavior later to see if we can come up with new protocols to better serve and protect this program. I can't say I like what I'm seeing, but you have a good handle on the girls and they seem to respect you. For better or worse, they're learning.

"I'll be honest," Annabeth added, tapping a reply out to Connor before peering up at Jackson. "I was expecting a call from Thalia."

"Yeah isn't that, ah, strange," Percy coughed, avoiding her eyes as they came to a stop next to the paddock doors.

"What did you do?" Annabeth demanded, her fingers freezing over her phone.

"Nothing," Percy denied immediately. At her disbelieving look he grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, "but Grover's texts may have been, ah, _accidently_ deleted last night when I called to talk to Jason."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Annabeth asked, rolling her eyes and pretending like that wasn't kind of cute. At least Thalia's real brother and her adopted one were getting along, she supposed.

"Well, it's not like he's afraid to rat me out - he already broken Nico's confidence when he was worried the little skeleton would get hurt so I figure he's a wise bet. If he really thinks I'm in trouble I have no doubt he'll tell Thals."

Annabeth rose an eyebrow, "Have you stopped to consider how much trouble not only you but Grover, Ethan and I will be in if Thalia finds out on her own?"

"Oh no, she'll one hundred percent blame me," Percy assured her looking none too concerned by the prospect.

"I really should tell her," Annabeth said slowly. Wasn't that her duty as Thalia's best friend? Thalia clearly loved Percy a lot and went to great lengths to keep an eye on him. If Annabeth knew he was sabotaging that, shouldn't she tell Thalia?

"Aw, no come on," Percy all but whined, his shoulders slumping. "I'm perfectly alright, Diane won't try it again for some time, you're going to talk with Ethan, it's all okay! No need to needlessly worry Thals.

"Come on," he said, his lower lip jutting out and green eyes wide and pleading. He looked like an overgrown toddler begging to please just have one more cookie.

Annabeth tried to stay stern. "If anything like this ever happens again," she threatened.

"I'll call her myself, scouts honor," Jackson said quickly, crossing his heart.

"Alright fine, but it's all on your head," Annabeth declared, pointing her finger at him.

"It usually is," Percy grinned, relief spreading over his face as she walked away. "It was ah, nice to have you today! Would you mind knocking on Grover's window on your way out and letting him know it's safe?"

"Yeah I'll let him know," she called over her shoulder.

She walked back to her car, pausing to knock on Grover's window. The man was lounging in the back of his car, holding his phone above his head. He jumped a little at her knock, grinning sheepishly. Annabeth smiled wryly in return, giving the man a thumb ups to indicate the safety of his return before climbing into her own car. As she buckled herself in and started the car, she watched the raptor trainer greet his friend. He was grinning and flashed Grover two thumbs up, holding his arms out and turning like he was proving he was unbitten and had all limbs accounted for. Definitely not professional, but it did make her lips twitch a little. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Jackson and Grover weren't _bad_ people in the same way the Stoll brothers weren't bad people. They just took a while to get used to, and even longer to learn to appreciate.

 

* * *

 

Reyna and Ethan were waiting for her by the unidentified carcass when she rolled up ten minutes later.

"Ethan," she greeted, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Me neither," the scientist said dryly. "I was on my way to the paddock when I was asked to come down here and take a look at the carcass. Apparently having a Ph.D. means I can identify mangled, washed up carcasses, even when it's a molecular biology Ph.D."

"Sorry," Annabeth said, shrugging. "I'm sure they were trying their best. It's not like we have a carcass expert on the island. Were you able to tell anything from it?"

"It's big and dead," Ethan unhelpfully supplied, crossing his arms.

Reyna elbowed him in the side, rolling her eyes. "Come take a look," the guard said instead.

Her feet sunk into the sand a little but Annabeth valiantly moved across the sand until she was next to the carcass. It was large, at least three times her own body length and half as thick. Tough but bleached muscle clung to the skeleton, torn and bitten, but stubbornly holding the carcass together, little patches of dark skin here and there. There were no identifying marks, any fins or whatnots were lost to predation or the elements. The entire head appeared to be missing.

"Nothing to identify it with," Annabeth said, straightening up and facing the pair. "And without knowing what it is, we can't even safely scavenge it and feed it the animals. Call ACU and have them cut it up and bury it."

"Could always run tests in the lab," Reyna said half-heartedly.

"Yes, because _that_ would be a productive use of lab equipment," Ethan huffed from behind the pair. "There's barely anything here and it's not like we can't afford to feed our animals. Just bury it."

Annabeth couldn't help but agree. She nodded at Reyna, "Call ACU."

Reyna nodded in return, pulling out her phone to make the call. Ethan gazed disinterestedly at the animal and then up at Annabeth.

"It was probably just a whale," he said with a sigh. He looked out across the water, the wind ruffling his bangs, before turning his eye to Annabeth, "Can I go to my paddock now?"

Annabeth waved him on and the third member of the raptor team left without a backward glance.

Knowing Reyna had things under control here, Annabeth returned to her car. Twisting her key in the ignition, Annabeth took a deep breath as she thought about all the other things she had to do today. As if reacting to her stress, her phone rang. Expecting it to be Connor, she answered without looking.

"Annabeth, and here I thought you were ignoring me," Luke's voice greeted her instead.

"Oh Luke," Annabeth said, surprised as she threw the car into reverse. "Sorry, but you know how busy I am. I just finished checking on our raptors and an unidentified carcass that washed up on shore. Not usable unfortunately since we don't know what it is so we'll have to bury it. Actually, I have to go check on our pachycephalosaurus herd and then finish a transfer for containment units – "

"Is this your polite way of telling me you're too busy to talk to me?" Luke teased, laughing lowly.

"I'm park manager," she reminded him, a little irritated. In front of her, Ethan's car veered off, heading down the side path that led back to the raptor paddock. A strange, little part of her brain wanted to follow.

"I know, I'm sorry to bother you," Luke smoothly returned as she shook the strange thought off, determinedly staying on the road that led back to the park. "I'll let you get back to flawlessly running that park."

Annabeth smiled at his confidence, berating herself for her flash of irritation. He was just teasing her. Besides, she _had_ been avoiding his calls. "Thanks, Luke," she said, "I really appreciate it, I'll call you later okay?"

"Of course, Annabeth, good luck."


	14. Chapter 14

"So I was talking to Beckendorf and Katie yesterday," Percy said, "and we were bouncing around the idea of adding a pond or something to the girls' paddock."

"Why?" Grover's confused voice crackled in Percy's earpiece, "we give them water."

"Creates a more natural setting," Ethan said, his disembodied voice following Grover's.

"It makes them more self-sufficient and less dependent on us, that sounds like a terrible idea," Grover disagreed.

Percy ignored that, smiling at his girls instead. The raptors were milling around, Ceres interestedly sniffing a wilting flower. They were so desensitized to their alpha's crazy low mutterings that by now they were wholly unaffected.

"You'd like a pond wouldn't you girls?" Percy asked, throwing his voice so the girls knew that his crazy talk was over and now he was speaking to them. "A nice little pond to drink from and go in and clean your scales every once in a while. Unless of course, dear Uncle Grover would rather not add the pond and would instead like to volunteer to give you sponge baths."

"You know, a pond sounds really good," Grover said quickly as Percy and Ethan laughed.

Ceres chirped at Percy's laughter, her head coming up as she gave the slightly twisted equivalent of a raptor smile. At least, that's what Percy liked to call it. Grover insisted it was a death glare, but Percy knew better. It was his girls' fond look. The girls were enjoying a lazy day today, warming their scales and feathers under the hot morning sun after a few short exercises. From the edge of the pack, Diane shuffled forward.

Unlike earlier in the week, where any movement from Diane would prompt a growl or snarl from the pack, today her slow movement was met without resistance. Juno watched Diane edge forward lazily from where she was sunbathing by Ceres. Her haughty head was held sky-high, little gurgles coming from her throat that Percy insisted were purrs and Ethan didn't have a proper explanation for. As Diane grew closer, almost within reach of Minerva now, Juno dipped her head and scratched at her scales, obviously disinterested.

Minerva watched her beta carefully and at Juno's casual dismissal her eyes turned to analyze Diane. Diane gave a low growl and a second later the pair were tussling in the dirt, shrieking as they play fought. Juno continued to look disinterested, picking at something in her scales, as Ceres sneezed on her flower, cocking her head to the side when the might of the blow knocked the poor thing over.

"They've officially accepted her back in," Ethan said, his voice neutral.

"Yeah, I'm glad," Percy said, smiling as Diane and Minerva tussled, biting and clawing at each other but careful enough not to break their sisters' scales. "It was weird ostracizing her, she's just a moody teenager."

"Diane perhaps," Ethan agreed. "And she's learned her lesson. They're getting bigger though. One of these days Juno might—"

"I know, Ethan," Percy interrupted. "Sooner or later all the birds leave the nest but let me enjoy my babies while I can yeah?"

"They're not children," Grover said, sounding exasperate, "please stop using the empty nest analogy. Children don't try to kill and eat their parents."

"Well I mean, not usually," Percy teased back.

It really was good to see the girls all getting along again. Percy actually missed all the play fights Diane would start. Minerva and Diane's play fight brought the pair tumbling towards the last two members of the pack. Juno didn't even look up, hissing darkly in warning but staying put. Ceres crouched low, her upper body covering the bent flower as she eyed her sisters warily. She growled as the fight grew closer, snapping her jaws threateningly. It had little effect. Not even a second later, Diane and Minerva were plowing into Ceres, who shrieked and lashed out as she went down in a tangle of claws and teeth. The collision sent all three raptors to the floor, tails writhing and limbs thrashing as they tried to separate. Minerva got up first, shaking her ruffled feathers out and looking amazingly dignified for someone who was shrieking on her back only moments before.

Ceres didn't bother coming to her feet, instead rolling over like an infant. She huffed, a little cloud of dirt stirring around her snout as she anxiously searched the ground. The little flower she'd been so interested in was flattened to the ground, all three of its lackluster, wilted petals torn and in pieces. Ceres whined, blinking her little reptilian eyes as she nudged one of the little petals with her snout.

"Aw Ceres, that's too bad," Percy said sympathetically. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find another flower somewhere—"

His words were cut off by a blood-curdling shriek as Ceres launched herself off the ground and onto the back of a startled and very much caught off guard Diane.

"Ouch," Percy said, wincing in sympathy as Ceres continued to shriek bloody murder and cling viciously onto her sister's back.

Diane started shrieking in surprise and panic, whipping around frantically as she tried to dislodge her unwanted passenger but Ceres dug in and continued crying revenge. Diane barked beseechingly at Minerva, but the light raptor was slowly backing away, eyeing Ceres warily. Juno stopped cleaning herself to peer up with interest. Percy thought she looked rather proud as she watched Ceres cling on tight.

"Our little girl huh?" Percy asked her and Juno made that gurgling sound again.

"Oh god," Grover choked over his earpiece as Percy laughed.

"I told you that Ceres would be the one we'd have to watch out for," Percy reminded him, looking up at the boardwalk and grinning broadly. "Look at my vicious little girl. I almost feel sorry for Diane."

Diane finally managed to free herself and took cover in the bushes. Ceres snorted, clawing angrily at the ground as she growled. She prowled around the tattered remains of her flower as smoldering eyes watched the tree line. Diane wisely stayed hidden. Even Minerva made herself small, watching Ceres in alarm.

"That's our girl," Percy repeated fondly, smiling down at Juno.

Percy figured they wouldn't get anything done after that so he let Ceres continue to terrify her sisters under Juno's proud supervision, jogging to the edge of the paddock and leaving his girls for the day.

"So, a pond," Percy repeated later as they crowded into his trailer to review the week's progress.

"Talk to Annabeth and Beckendorf," Ethan said with a wave of his hand, "that's not my department but I do not want to sponge bathe the girls so I vote yes."

The scientist rummaged around in his bag as Percy and Grover rummaged around in the fridge. He pulled out boring files while Percy and Grover sat down with coke and snacks. Ethan's face remained as impassionate as always as he serenely held a hand out for some Cheetos and a coke.

"Okay," Ethan said, settling back in his seat. "So Diane's been accepted back into the pack after her display of aggression last week, and she seems cowed for now."

He punctuated the last two words sharply, looking up at Percy for extra emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah, for now, I get it," Percy said, cracking his coke open and tearing into the Cheetos bag.

"I'm not entirely sure you do but then again I just watched some of your old shark videos so I don't think you've ever gotten it," Ethan said dryly.

"Oh god, which one?" Grover groaned, throwing a hand over his eyes as though to shield himself from the memory. "Was it one of the great white incidents? A tiger shark? Bull? Or," Grover snickered here, peeking out from under his hand with a grin, "wait was it the cookie cutter shark incident?"

"Dammit Grover you promised to never mention that," Percy yelped, dropping the Cheetos in horror and reaching over to grab the nearest object (one of Ethan's files) to assault Grover upside the head with.

"I don't want to know," Ethan decided in a deadpan as Percy's continued assault on his friend caused papers to go flying everywhere. "You're going to pick all of those up."

Grover sat back in his chair, still snickering, as Percy glared at him. Grumbling, the raptor trainer leaned down to start picking the papers up as Ethan kept talking. Percy was only kind of listening, Ceres was coming into her own, blah, blah, blah, we're going to start weening you from the paddock this week, blah, blah, blah, wait—

Percy frowned as a familiar name caught his eye and he pulled a paper towards him.

"What's this?" He asked, holding the paper out to Ethan. Ethan glanced up. His eyebrows squirmed a little, the only outward display of his displeasure.

"An ongoing email conversation between Castellan and I, I documented it on paper just in case," Ethan muttered, reaching out for the paper but Percy pulled it close and scowled at the print.

"He wants us to train the girls at night?" Percy asked incredulously as he read.

Ethan grunted as Grover gagged.

_"No,"_ Grover said firmly.

"That's what I said." Ethan muttered, "He thought it was a good idea because the girls had master day time exercises."

"Yeah, they're deadly enough during the day why on earth would we want to teach them to be just as deadly at night?" Grover huffed, crossing his arms.

"But what would the point be?" Percy asked, brow furrowed. "I'm teaching the girls how to hunt and how to behave like raptors. I mean, I am basically their mom. I'm just here to raise them. Raptor trainer's kind of a misnomer, I'm not like training them to do tricks or anything. I'm training them like their mom would if they were born naturally. I don't get why they would need to learn how to do things at night?"

Ethan grunted again.

"I mean I get it that raptors _could_ have hunted at night but why would I risk that? I mean, I can't keep a good eye on them at night and we don't want them to be doing dangerous things at night. They could hurt themselves and we couldn't get a vet to them until the morning to be safe."

"And it's a _bad idea_ ," Grover repeated.

"And it's kind of a bad idea," Percy agreed. "Like baiting sharks."

"That's what I said," Ethan said clinically, shuffling his papers. "I told him it was a bad idea and not to mention it again."

"But I don't understand _why_ he would suggest it in the first place," Percy pressed. "I'm telling you, there's something about him that's just off. Oh hey," Percy remembered. "Do you know anything about his company Global Orthyl, Ethan? I've been looking into it and there seems to be a lot of personnel crossover right before their merge with T-Core and I don't know. There's something fishy about it, here I've got a few articles if you want to look—"

Percy reached across the trailer, rocking back on his chair to give him that extra length to reach his laptop, when there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a louder one and—

"Hey Percy! Grover! Open up!"

"Connor," a softer voice scolded, "be nice."

"What? I'm _perfectly_ —Percy my man!"

Connor Stoll and Katie Gardener smiled up at them as Percy opened the door.

"Hey?" Percy said in mild confusion as Connor elbowed passed him and into the trailer. "Hey! I didn't—"

"Connor," Katie scolded, catching Connor by the back of his shirt and jerking him backward before he could properly step into the trailer. Connor stumbled backward and fell flat on his ass, looking startled. "That's rude, let Percy invite us in if he wants. Hello Percy, you look well, have you talked to Ethan about the pond yet?"

"Just was actually," Percy grinned, laughing at Connor's put out expression. "We finished early for the day and were just talking about it."

"Well, I think it's a lovely idea." Katie said, standing on her tiptoes to smile over his shoulder at the other occupants of the trailer, "Hello Grover, hello Ethan."

"Hi Katie!" Grover shouted and Ethan respectively dipped his head.

"I must be going," Ethan said, gathering the rest of the papers Percy had spewed across the room.

"Oh really?" Percy asked, frowning as he forked his finger over his shoulder at the waiting laptop, "because I wanted—"

"Later," Ethan said vaguely, brushing passed Percy as he exited the trailer. "Goodbye Katie, Connor."

"I think we scare him," Katie confessed as Ethan all but sprinted away, his lab coat fluttering behind him. "He always leaves when we show up. Is it something we did?"

"I think that's just Ethan," Grover assured her, coming to the door as well. "Percy kind of just strong-armed him into accepting our company."

"I threatened to drag him kicking and screaming if I had to," Percy admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

Katie's lips twitched, eyes sparkling. "Well maybe we'll have to try that next time. For now, consider this as Connor and I strong-arming you two to come join us."

"Strong-arm away, where are we going?" Percy asked, knowing resistance was futile and honestly looking forward to spending some time with his new friends anyway.

"To visit Travis in his natural habitat," Connor said gravely.

"To the gallimimus valley," Katie amended firmly, but she was smiling. "Have you been out there yet?"

Percy regretfully shook his head. "We haven't seen much of the park actually," Percy admitted with a halfhearted shrug.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that," Katie said firmly, taking Percy by the arm. "Connor, grab Grover. Jurassic World really is a _fantastic_ place. We're the largest ecological preserve in the world you know. Our animals all have large, natural habitats where they're allowed to live as they would in the wild. Or at least as close as we can predict they would. They have large open paddocks and plenty of room to roam. They're completely self-sufficient. And not to mention they're _dinosaurs_ , how could you not have wanted to take a look at some before?"

She went on this manner as Percy glanced over his shoulder at a bemused Connor dragging a confused Grover along and decided they were off to a good start.

"So Travis works with the gallimimus?" Percy pronounced the name slowly and Katie nodded encouragingly. "In the gallimimus valley?"

"Yep," Connor said, popping the 'p' at the end. "It's really cool. We take guests in these supped up safari vehicles and drive them around the valley so they get an up-close and personal visit with the dinosaurs. What's _really_ awesome is when they're running as a herd and you cruise next to them."

"Sweet, are we going to do that?" Percy wondered.

Katie laughed, "I'm sure we can talk Travis into taking us out."

* * *

"Travis! Percy and Grover want a tour of the valley!" Connor shouted as his brother walked towards them.

They had parked just outside the valley, in the special employees-only parking, just before the entrance to the valley. There was an open garage before them, the metal bars that lined guests up twisted around in front of it. They wandered through the maze, ducking under the metal to reach Travis. Travis was sitting on the hood of one of the vehicles and he grinned and waved the group over.

"Welcome to the G-valley!" He called grandly, throwing his arms out, "nice to finally have you raptor boys come around!"

"So I heard you take these things right out into the valley," Percy said without preamble, bouncing on his heels.

"Sure do," Travis agree with a laugh, "hop on in and I'll show you _my_ girls."

Meant to carry up to twenty guests at one time, there was plenty of room in the vehicle for all of them. Travis drove up front, his voice gleefully booming from the speaker in the back as he drove across the valley.

"Our herd is almost forty strong," Travis explained as they raced across the green fields. "Annabeth says we can expect at least an addition of two to three every year. Our capacity is seventy-five, but our valley also has some of the smaller birdlike herbivores roaming around, so we estimate we can only hold about sixty gallimimus."

"Here are some of my babies now! See the taller one with the scar across her eye? That's my first baby, I was there when she hatched. I love you Helle!"

"She can't hear you, you maniac!" Connor called, but everybody ignored him as they crowded the side of the vehicle to catch a look at Helle.

There were three gallimimus sprinting across the valley. They were about fifteen feet away from the vehicle, giving the group a perfect view of the great beasts. They were tan creatures, great stripes running down their back and elongated necks. Their tails lashed side to side as they ran, arms tucked into their side. They almost reminded Percy of ostriches, only, you know, overlarge ostriches with long tails and three great claws on the end of each hand.

Of the three next to them, Percy concentrated on the tallest. He could just make out the scar across her eye as Travis said.

"What happened to her?" Percy shouted up to Travis.

"She's a dumbass," Travis called back fondly, "got into a fight with a tree."

"She's definitely yours then!" Connor called and they all laughed.

Eventually, the gallimimus slowed and as they slowed, so did Travis. Percy was pretty sure this wasn't a part of the actual tour, but he wasn't going to complain. Several groups of two and three dinosaurs were joining together, their little groups merging together as the herd started to pick at foliage and chirp at one another.

As Travis idled along, his passengers grinning at each other in wonder, Helle broke away from the group. With jerky birdlike movement, her head bobbing with each step she took as if constantly adjusting her balance, the gallimimus approached the vehicle. Her eyes blinked rapidly, bobbing vaguely at the four in the back. She was close enough that Percy could touch her if he reached out. He met Grover's eye and they grinned at each other.

Obviously disinterested, Helle bobbed forward some more and then, abruptly, stuck her head inside the driver's window. Travis' delighted laughter echoed across the speaker.

"Hiya girl, no, no I don't have treats for you today, stop that, no treats for you. Yes, I love you, I love you, but no treats. Get out now, I don't need a co-pilot, out with you. Go bug Sicily or someone okay?"

Helle made an odd noise, a high-pitched almost whine but withdrew her head. Still bobbing, she wandered off.

"Bye baby!" Travis called after her. "Promise I'll have treats next time! That was Helle guys, she's great. Now, let's head down to the pond and see what's happening down there, cool?"

Travis kept them out for an hour longer, introducing them to more gallimimus and generally showing them around the paddock. When they pulled back into the front, Travis hopped out and unlatched the back door, grinning up at his passengers.

"So, whaddya guys think?"

"They're great," Grover immediately assured him. "Nice and fun and not likely to accidently maim anyone."

"Well I mean, you did see their claws, right?" Travis asked, pointing vaguely towards the valley, "Because this one time—"

"That was a lovely tour Travis, don't ruin it by telling us about someone's evisceration," Katie said firmly as both Stoll brothers cackled.

"Thanks, Travis," Percy said as he hopped out of the back. "That was real cool, your girls really are something."

Travis' chest puffed out with pride.

"I mean, not nearly as cool as a pack of _raptors_ but—"

"You wound me," Travis gasped, clutching his heart dramatically, "I'll have you know that my girls are far more well behaved than _yours_ —"

"Mine have never eviscerated anybody," Percy pointed out, throwing his hands in the air with a grin.

"Yeah well give them time," Travis blustered, hands on his hips and grinning elfishly.

"How about we don't?" Grover coughed. "If no animal ever eviscerates somebody again, we'll all be happy yeah?"

"What a wonderful way to put it, Grover," Katie said, giving Percy and Travis a dry look as she linked her arm through Grover's. "Come on now, I have to be at the nursery in half an hour. Drop me off before you drop the boys off Connor?"

"Of course m'lady," Connor said with an exaggerated bow, winking at his brother. "Catch ya later loser."

After bidding Travis farewell, they climbed back into Connor's car and headed deeper into the park.

"You sure it's no problem to drop us off?" Grover asked after they dropped Katie off at the nursery and headed back towards the restricted section.

"Naw, I'm heading that way anyway," Connor assured them. "I'm supposed to drop something off for Annabeth at the gyrosphere ride anyway, mind if we stop there on the way?"

"No problem," Percy assured him.

The gyrosphere valley was almost thrice as large as the gallimimus valley but Connor seemed to know where he was going. Annabeth was waiting for them along the edge of a manmade river, coffee in one hand and tablet in the other. If she was surprised to see Percy and Grover with Connor, she didn't show it.

"Got my files Connor?" she asked tiredly and the man waved the prize above his head.

It was the first time he'd seen the park manager since their slightly awkward encounter at the paddock earlier that week. Despite the slight awkwardness that persisted, he thought that maybe Annabeth Chase might be kind of cool beneath her park manager exterior. She had to be, he rationalized, for Thalia to like her. Right now, she looked exhausted, dark circles beneath her eyes and skin a little gray. Percy remembered what she told him in her makeshift apology and felt a twinge of sympathy.

"You alright?" He asked when he got close enough as she started flipping through the file Connor gave her, tucking her tablet under her arm. "Ah, you want me to hold something for you?"

"No I—" she started to snap but cut herself off, taking a deep breath. "I mean, yes that'd be appreciated."

He gave her a half smile and took her tablet when she held it out to him. She took a long drink of coffee, her eye skimming over the file before her. Percy briefly considered bringing up the whole pond idea for his girls but dismissed it just as quickly. Now clearly wasn't the time. He'd ask when she looked less stressed.

"How are the raptors?" She asked clinically.

"Fine," Percy said, "but you have bigger things to worry about right now right? How are the pachy-things?"

Her lips gave a little twitch at that and she looked exasperated. Instead of snapping at him though, she surprised him by slowly enunciating, "Pah-chey-cephal-o-saurus."

"Pachycephalosaurus," Percy repeated slowly and Annabeth nodded. "Got it, how are the pachycephalosaurus?"

He still tripped over the name slightly, god why were there so many syllables, but he was quite proud of himself.

"Problematic," the park manager sighed, closing the file and looking up at him. "But we're working on it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Percy encouraged. "Thalia says you're the best."

Annabeth's lips twitched, "And if Thalia says it, it must be true?"

Percy made a face like _yeah duh_. "Of course. Thalia's the expert on reading people."

"She sure doesn't soften her blows," Annabeth agreed dryly and Percy laughed.

"I think her glowing review of me is 'he's an asshole but he's a stubborn, lovable asshole'."

"You know, I think she said something similar to me," Annabeth mused, smiling in earnest. A few strands of pale blonde hair fluttered before her eyes, having torn loose from her ponytail and were now happily celebrating their freedom as they danced around her head.

"See? Now I know you'll figure it out," Percy said, gently nudging her on the shoulder. She looked surprised at the contact, her eyebrows raising and Percy froze. "Um, that was a professional, encouraging shoulder bump?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes but to his immense surprise, she bumped him right back. "And that was a professional, you're an idiot get back to work shoulder bump."

"Ma'am yes ma'am," Percy mock saluted with a grin and she gave him a little bit harder of a shove. "Okay, okay, going, sheesh, message received."

"Hey Jac—Percy," she called as he started walking away. He half turned, eyebrows raised.

The park manager gave him a thin smile, "Thanks."

"Sure thing," Percy said, returning the smile as he starting to jog away.

"Percy!" She shouted and he turned, confused. What did he do? He thought things were going well. She gave him what had to be the most exasperated look he'd ever been on the receiving end from, and he had been on the receiving end of a _lot_. "My tablet?"

"Oh!" Percy said, blinking down at the tablet he still held. He could feel a flush creeping up his neck, "Right." He sheepishly jogged back up to her and handed it over.

"Thanks," she said wryly, the corners of her mouth upturned the slightly bit. She looked . . . well she looked almost amused, friendly.

"Sorry," he said again, giving what he hoped was a winning smile before turning tail and running off to join Connor and Grover. Once in the car, they both turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Percy asked in confusion.

"Wow," Connor said, looking over at Grover.

"You have no idea," Grover replied, which left Percy all the more confused.

"What?" He repeated but nobody answered him.

It was too late to run any more exercises with the girls so Grover went back to his apartment and Connor drove Percy out to his paddock. Waving goodbye to his friend, Percy headed back to his trailer. He was smiling as he flicked the lights on, feeling content. It wasn't a very productive day, but it was a good day. It was fun and he was finally feeling like he might actually belong here. Kicking off his shoes, Percy spotted a package on his table, the one that came in last night with the proud eagle stamp across its front declaring its origins of New York. Percy grinned, snatching the package up. He knew the perfect way to end the day. He had a call to make. Sitting down, Percy balanced his laptop on his knees and waited.

Nico answered after a couple seconds.

"Hey Nico," Percy greeted casually, "you look great, did you actually see the sun this week? That's a thing you know, the sun."

"Shut up," Nico responded immediately but without any heat.

The youngest Olympian cousin was slouched in his dorm chair, idly twisted back and forth. There was a large textbook open in front of him and a notebook with halfhearted notes but he looked grateful for the interruption so Percy doubted much studying was getting done. Perfect. He grinned widely at his cousin's image.

"So I heard you adopted Jason," Nico said, closing his book.

"Yep, it's official and everything, just waiting on the paperwork. Oh, and if you're worried about being replaced as my favorite brother . . . you should be, because Jason baked me blue cookies and shipped them all the way out here." Percy held the offering up to the computer so Nico could see the slightly crumbled but still edible delicious blue treats his new favorite cousin did in fact send. Percy scowled at the image of his youngest cousin. "Why don't you or Thals ever send me anything?"

"Because we have enough blackmail on you that we don't have to resort to bribery," Nico snorted, crossing his arms and holding his chin up high.

"Ah, bribery cookies, nice," Percy grinned, delighted. "A true Olympian."

Nico gave a strangled cough, hiding his face in his oversized sweatshirt as he tried to disguise his laughter and smile. Psh, whatever. Percy knew he was hilarious. He shoved a cookie in his mouth while he waited for Nico to recover himself.

Once he did, his brow was furrowed and he eyed Percy suspiciously.

"You didn't ask," he accused slowly.

"I difn't asph wha'?" Percy asked through a mouthful of delicious blue cookie. Wow, those were really good. What was Jason majoring in? He should quit and start a bakery.

"If I'd met any cute boys, you didn't ask me this time," Nico said, looking increasingly suspiciously, drawing himself up to his rather unimpressive height. "You always ask, ever since—" he vaguely waved his hand as though the motion somehow signified _when I came out_ "—you _always_ ask."

"Didn't I?" Percy asked innocently, tilting his head to the side and pretending to be surprised. "Oh my bad."

He leaned forward, smirking and Nico leaned back in alarm, his eyes wide.

"So tell me Nico, how's Will?"


	15. Chapter 15

If it weren't for the bubble gum blowing and perfectly on point eyeliner, Annabeth might have been suspicious that the image before her was of a doppelganger and not the real Thalia Olympian. But, as it were, the slightly grainy image flickering on her screen was popping gum between sentences and even in the poor video quality her eyeliner looked like it could kill a man, so Annabeth was fairly certain this was the real illegitimate daughter of Zeus.

"You're a goddess," Annabeth said with as much feeling as she could, taking a sip of coffee as she watched the printer before her spew out the pages Thalia emailed that morning.

"I know," Thalia dismissed with a wave of her hand.

_Does she know?_ Annabeth wondered as she eyed the flour covered hand. That was strange enough in itself, but to add to Annabeth's concern there was also flour in Thalia's hair, little specks of white dotting the sloppy ponytail. A glob of some sort of batter was smeared across her forehead and there was butter on her ear, of all place. Thalia wasn't a baker, yet there she was, mixing bowl in hand, her face just as vaguely angry and disinterested as always.

Annabeth was fairly certain it was the real Thalia.

Mostly.

"How did you get your dad to agree to this?" She asked, reaching out to grab the last piece of paper that printed, an itinerary for the holiday season at Jurassic World.

Thalia gave her an unimpressed look. "He let me believe my baby brother was dead," she said bluntly, "I could ask for a nuclear submarine and he'd ask in what color."

"Right," Annabeth winced, taking a sip of coffee as Thalia violently whisked whatever it was inside the bowl. Pale, lumpy batter slouched over the side and Thalia let out a few colorful curses.

"So our holiday festivities are cut down this year," Annabeth said in relief. "No feeding reindeer to Rexy this time around, thank god. Okay, so we have a new mosasaurus show, normal petting zoo changes, decorative gear for all vehicles, music—"

"But _not_ in the elevator," Thalia said viciously, stabbing the batter. "I damn near went postal last year."

"Not in the elevator," Annabeth agreed with a smile. "Thanks, Thalia."

Thalia grunted, glaring down at the bowl.

"Thalia," Annabeth said slowly, curiosity finally overriding her sense of self-preservation. "What are you doing?"

"Rapidly losing control of my own damn life," Thalia snarled, slamming the bowl down. "I'm not a cook dammit! Or a baker or whatever. Whatever crook decided that making food together was a good bonding exercise needs to be shot. And where did that damn giant run off to anyway, _Jason! Get your ass over here and stir this or so help me—"_

"Well I'll let you go," Annabeth said quickly.

She ended the feed before she could witness anything more. She blew out a low breath, watching the printer as it spat out the last of the papers, gurgling angrily before falling silent. She gave it an appreciative pat. As she gathered the papers together the image of Thalia, batter smeared over her face, came to mind and Annabeth found herself smiling and giggling in the quiet of her office. She should have taken a screenshot of that. _What a waste of opportunity,_ she thought.

"Connor," Annabeth called as she left her office, shuffling the copies of Thalia's holiday plans in her arms. "Thalia convinced Zeus to lighten up on the holiday plans this year."

She put a copy of the new itinerary between the red T-Rex and the yellow stegosaurus on Connor's desk.

"Oh thank god," Connor breathed, grabbing the paper. "I really thought she was going to kill someone last year. I stopped using the elevator because I was afraid she'd snap and let me tell you what, it was _not_ fun climbing up all those stairs."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at that and Connor froze, peering up at her over the itinerary. Quick as a flash there was an actual flash and Annabeth was blinking as Connor cackled and typed something on his phone.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

"You're _smiling_ before _noon_ ," Connor said, "it's like an early Christmas miracle. And no coffee in sight!"

"I _will_ put you on janitor duties," Annabeth threatened as Connor cackled some more and continued typing. "And I had a coffee in my office. Who are you sending that picture to?"

"Everyone," came the vague answer. "To the press, the world needs to see this."

Annabeth just rolled her eyes again. "If that picture ends up in Olympian's email I will feed you to Rexy," she threatened as she walked away.

"Love you too!" Connor called as she stepped inside the elevator.

Stopping to grab a quick on the go breakfast in the form of an everything bagel with cream cheese, Annabeth strode out of the building. It was Saturday and the crowds were at their thickest, at least for this time of year. New arrivals mingled with the frantic last minute guests who wanted to make the most of their last day in the park. Annabeth neatly sidestepped most of the bustle, reading the changes in more detail. Well, she probably should start with the mosasaurus exhibit today then. She could check in with the trainers and update them on the holiday plans. With that in mind, she headed for the exhibit.

The giant clock hanging over the lagoon declared the first feeding show of the morning would start in ten minutes and the exhibit's stadium was packed, guests getting their rain ponchos ready and giggling amongst themselves. Annabeth knew better than to try and find the head handler, Beroe, in this mess. The poor woman would be stressed out enough as it was. No use adding any fuel to that fire, she'd wait until after the show to talk to Beroe. The delay gave Annabeth the opportunity to read the new itinerary in detail though, so that was a plus.

_And observe the show,_ she added as an afterthought. It had been a while since she'd seen the mosasaurus show. It was always good to re-familiarize oneself with their park, she reasoned. She frowned at the gathered crowd, trying to decide if she wanted to brave the sardine-like closeness and the infamous splash zone or if she wanted to quietly slip into the control center with Beroe to watch the show, when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

"Percy?" She called without thinking and the raptor trainer pivoted on his heel, looking surprised.

His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jeans and his shirt, a faded purple color with the insignia of what appeared to be a summer camp stamped in peeling letters, was almost an entire size too small. At her call his eyes bounced around, unnervingly predatorial, before landing on her. A grin wound up his face and he pulled a hand out to wave.

"Hey Annabeth," he called happily before being unceremoniously shoved aside by an irritated pedestrian.

Annabeth couldn't help but snort at that, shaking her head as the raptor trainer stumbled but managed to catch himself.

"That's what you get for stopping in the middle of a walkway," she said as he straightened, shooting an offended look over his shoulder as he jogged over to her side.

"Eh, that's nothing," Percy said, shrugging, "I lived in New York, I've had worse. What brings you here?"

"I work here," Annabeth dryly replied and Percy made a face. "But if your poorly phrased sentence was actually an inquiry as to my exact purpose for coming to the mosasaurus exhibit today, the answer would be to talk to the handlers about a new show."

"Oh cool," Percy said, nodding. "For the holiday's right?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said.

A couple weeks ago that deduction probably would have surprised her, but she was learning more about Percy now that she wasn't actively pushing him away. He wasn't stupid. Clueless and oblivious she might say, but not stupid.

"Ethan said I should check out the mosasaurus show," Percy said even though she hadn't asked, craning his neck to look out over the bay. "I think he just wanted some alone time to do his nerd thing so I thought why not?"

Annabeth pictured Percy lounging around the lab, leaning over chairs and sighing loudly in boredom, and didn't blame Ethan one bit. "They're closer to your sharks than the girls are," Annabeth said.

"Not by much though I'm told."

"Mosasaurus is in the reptile family. So no, they're not closely related to your sharks. Although they're not exactly dinosaurs either so they might actually be closer to sharks than your girls. Mosasaurus at least give birth to live young."

"Sweet."

Annabeth blinked as she realized they were at the edge of the theater. She hadn't even realized they were walking. Percy peered curiously down at her.

"Are you staying for the show?" Percy asked.

Annabeth stared out at the compact sea of people sitting in the splash zone before looking back at Percy. His face was open, eyes wide and questioning. He seemed genuinely happy to get over their initial, well not _animosity_ , but frosty behavior.

"Yeah, yeah let's find a seat," she told him.

"We're going to get splashed you know," Annabeth told him as they edged their way towards a miraculously empty pair of seats. She nodded her head towards them and Percy bobbed his in silent agreement.

"I don't mind the water," Percy laughed, murmuring an 'excuse me' to a group as he squeezed by them to get to the empty seats.

"Right," Annabeth said, shaking her head. Marine biologist. "Shark Whisperer."

Percy threw her an arrogant grin over his shoulder, then promptly paid for it as he collided with some guy's knees.

"Oh my bad, sorry," he tried to apologize and Annabeth gave the guy an apologetic smile, _sorry about him_ , as they finally reached their seats.

The seating was tight and it was impossible to not be accidently touching your neighbor. Annabeth moved so her knees bumped against Percy instead of the kid on the other side of her. Their seats were pretty terrible, high and almost the furthest to the left you could go. Seating was arranged so all guests could have an advantageous view of the mosasaurus' lagoon but the speaker's podium had to go somewhere and the crane for feeding the mosasaurus hung over that so their angle offered a slightly awkward view. Percy didn't seem to mind. Like the kid on Annabeth's other side, he was leaning forward with wide eyes, grinning as he scanned the water.

"How big is she?" Percy asked excitedly.

"Our mosasaurus is fifty-four feet long but the largest fossil ever found was almost sixty feet in length so we think she might keep growing."

"Well, you feed her regularly and it's not like anything's going to prey on her here," Percy laughed, "she'll get bigger."

"I hope not, she's already fifteen tons," Annabeth said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't know what we're going to do for her next check-up. She was ten tons last time. We lured her in with food filled with sedatives, but obviously we couldn't give her too many—"

"Or she'd start sinking," Percy said with a nod. "We'd give bigger sharks sedatives and then herd them into a harness that we would then tie alongside the boat. But only if we were desperate. Sedatives are dangerous for swimmers. How'd you guys do it? Did you have like a gigantic harness or what?"

His face scrunched up, "God how big would that harness have to be?"

"It was forty-five feet and it took our engineers damn near three years to design it to support her weight, even in the water," Annabeth said exasperatedly and Percy made a sympathetic face.

"She didn't stay sedated long and she broke the harness before the vets were through." Annabeth grimaced. "We only did it because something was wrong with her breathing. We're still not entirely sure what was wrong, but she seems better now. At least I hope so, we can't do that again. She's just too big and dangerous."

She could feel Percy shrug, his elbow accidently catching the edge of her shirt. "There's really nothing else you _can_ do. Great whites were always a pain for us. They are so big and heavy, not to mention aggressive. You can usually get a tiger shark sedated and feed enough to tolerate a little manhandling, even enough to check out its fins or whatever else might be wrong, but a great white? If it wasn't something simple, we were usually told to leave it alone."

"Told to leave it alone," Annabeth repeated carefully, raising her eyebrows at Percy. "Meaning you _wanted_ to anyway and probably would have tried." Percy gave a sheepish grin. "God, I see now why Thalia is always so high-strung."

"Yeah, we're terrible," Percy said which left Annabeth wondering what the last Olympian cousin was like and seriously contemplating Thalia's sanity.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!"

Annabeth turned as the loudspeakers crackled to life, the speaker herself walking up to the podium and waving enthusiastically at the crowd; the show had begun. Percy sat back in interest, watching the water once more.

"She's a handler?" He asked in confusion, eyes briefly flickering over to the young speaker.

Annabeth snorted, "No. That's Dero, an intern. Beroe wasn't very happy about getting her, so she puts the girl on show duty. It's better this way really, it would probably kill Beroe to smile. Dero's a nice, pleasant face and she can engage the crowd. I think she's the best mosasaurus speaker we've had in a while."

"Cool," Percy said as Dero smiled pleasantly at the crowd, gesturing behind her at the water as she gave a basic introduction to the aquatic carnivore. Annabeth tuned most of it out, it wasn't anything she didn't already know, not to mention she just regurgitated most of it for Percy.

"—not actually a dinosaur," Dero explained as she reached out and activated the feeding crane. There was a low, metallic groan as the crane slowly rose from under the stage. The bait, a still bleeding great white shark, swung lazily at the end of it.

"She probably doesn't like the surface much does she?" Percy asked, more occupied with scanning the lagoon than paying attention to the watered down introduction. His eyes briefly flickered up to glance at Dero.

"I don't actually know," Annabeth admitted with a frown. "I don't spend much time with her. I think she prefers the depths—what's wrong?"

Percy gasped, practically jerking in his seat as the crane creaked, rotating so the dangling bait swung lightly as it was lowered towards the water.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth repeated as Percy's mouth worked silently, his eyes practically bulging out of his face. His face was alarmingly pale. Annabeth reached out, alarmed. What was wrong? Was he hurt? Did he have some underlying medical condition she didn't know about? She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face her, anxiously scanning his face.

_"What are you doing that's an endangered species?!"_ was what came out of his mouth.

"What?" Annabeth said, her brain not quite connecting the dots as she froze.

_"Great whites are endangered what the hell are you people doing!?"_

He half rose from his seat, his deathly pale face darkening rapidly into a fierce, stormy expression. Annabeth automatically grabbed his arm, jerking him back down into his seat, half-afraid he would do something stupid like fight the crane.

"Percy, sit down—"

Caught off balance, Percy came crashing back down into his seat, a tangle of long limbs and anger. He struggled to righten himself, glaring at Annabeth.

"You people feed her every _two hours_? Do you feed her a _great white_ every _two hours_?" Percy snarled, outraged.

"I'm not sure," Annabeth truthfully and diplomatically replied.

The crowd around them shrieked and Annabeth heard the sickening sound of thirteen thousand pounds of bite force chomping down. She didn't turn to watch the mosasaurus feed, she'd seen it often enough, but instead watched in morbid interest as Percy's face convulsed as _he_ watched. The mosasaurus fell back into the water, a loud smack followed a half-second later by a tidal wave that drenched the stands. Annabeth closed her eyes and turned her head, stoically enduring the salty, warm water as it soaked her through. She opened her eyes a moment later, Dero's words and the roar of the crowd mere background noise. Percy's dark hair was plastered to his face, water dripping along the edge of his jaw, his shirt practically black now. His expression was murderous.

It wasn't funny, Annabeth thought. It wasn't.

She giggled a little, biting her lip but that couldn't stem the flow. She giggled a little more then burst into peals of laughter. If looks could kill, she'd be dead as Percy turned his murderous eyes on her. Annabeth just laughed harder, tears actually coming to her eyes as she cracked up.

"I'm so—I'm—" Annabeth tried to apologize but one look at Percy's face and she was dying again.

The stands were lowering, the hum of filters and the rush of water filling the air, casting Percy's murderous face in blue hues as the theater fell to the lower level to afford the guests a view of the mosasaurus under the lagoon.

"I'm leaving," he said flatly, starting to stand up.

"No, no wait—" Annabeth said, putting a hand on his arm as she tried to control herself. Percy gave her a flat, unamused look that almost sent her back into hysteria. She valiantly swallowed it back, clearing her throat once, twice. She looked away, knowing she couldn't look at his face and collect herself at the same time.

"It's not funny," Percy grumbled and she could feel him cross his arms. He was probably pouting. _Deep breaths_ , Annabeth thought, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she was fairly certain the laughter was gone, she opened them and turned back to Percy. He slouched low in his seat, arms crossed and pouting as predicted.

"I'm sorry," she calmly apologized.

"It's a serious thing!" Percy insisted, throwing an arm out and letting it fall with a thud back onto his lap.

"I know," Annabeth said, "I do, really. Endangered species are a serious problem and not one to take lightly."

Percy huffed.

"But your _face_ ," Annabeth couldn't help but add, giggles working their way up her throat. Percy gave her the stink eye.

"Sorry," she apologized again, clearing her throat with a cough.

She patted her throat, as though the giggles were just a bad case of coughing or something. Percy still didn't look amused. God, she wished she could've gotten a picture of his face. She'd have to ask Connor if they captured that on one of their security cameras. She had a feeling Thalia would appreciate it.

"Great whites are endangered," Percy repeated mutinously, glaring straight ahead.

"Yes," Annabeth agreed, wondering if he would notice if she brought out her phone to snap a picture of his face. He'd probably notice."S'not funny."

"S'not funny."

"Not the shark no," Annabeth agreed, turning so her knees knocked against his. "Here, let's try to enjoy the rest of the show and appreciate the mosasaurus at least. When it's over you can come back to my office and we can discuss better options for her diet."

Percy side-eyed her. "You won't feed her great whites anymore?"

"We're supposed to be part of an animal conservation organization, of course we don't want to use endangered animals as bait or further the destruction of an endangered population," Annabeth said.

"Feeding dinosaurs great whites," Percy grumbled to himself, sinking even deeper into his seat as he unhappily glared out at the lagoon.

"Not technically a dinosaur," Annabeth corrected which earned her another glare. "But we'll fix it."

Percy continued to grumble in varying levels of outrage for the rest of the show. Annabeth patiently bore it all, humming and nodding all the while. The show ended and the guest around them started collecting their belongings, excitedly talking amongst themselves and laughing. Percy glared murderously at anyone unfortunate enough to meet his gaze.

"Taking enjoyment out of the destruction of an endangered species," he muttered viciously, hands shoved deep in his pockets as they exited the exhibit. People gave them a wide berth.

"I'm sure their enjoyment had more to do with the ancient sea monster than anything else," Annabeth said dryly, rolling her eyes slightly. "I'm sure if they'd been more aware of the circumstances they would be appropriately upset."

Percy huffed as Annabeth swiped her access card on the keypad of the administration building. The glass elevator dinged lightly as it opened and Annabeth ushered the enraged trainer inside.

"We'll get it figured out," she placated as the elevator climbed. Percy crossed his arms, leaning against the side elevator as he sulked.

"Only three lost kids so far today," Connor cheerfully greeted as Annabeth stepped out of the elevator once they reached the top floor. "Which is like a record—oh, hey Percy!"

"Hi," Percy said shortly, his expression still stormy.

Connor's eyes widened and they flickered to Annabeth as she pushed the still slightly wet raptor trainer forward.

"Apparently we've been feeding the mosasaurus an endangered species of shark," Annabeth said in way of an explanation as she propelled Percy towards her office.

"Apparently," Percy repeated in disdain, "you probably got them from shady illegal fishers, killing off my poor sharks in drones—"

"We'll be in my office," Annabeth said, cutting Percy off.

"Um, okay?" Connor said, eyebrows pulling together as he leaned over his desk to watch them disappear into her office. Annabeth closed the door on his snooping, overly curious face.

Percy dramatically flung himself down onto one of Annabeth's chairs and it was all Annabeth could do not to snort. That was just such an _Olympian_ thing to do. She'd seen Thalia and even Zeus himself do the same exact thing. Because dramatically flinging oneself around got so much accomplished. Olympians, honestly. She sat down across from the man, deftly typing her credentials into her computer.

"Our experts apparently thought sharks were the best choice of meal for the mosasaurus," Annabeth said as she pulled up the files on the creatures. Percy huffed but she ignored him, scanning the pages before her as she scrolled.

"You mean most dramatic choice," Percy muttered darkly. "Feed the mosasaurus the king of the modern ocean, yeah the crowd'll love that."

Annabeth hummed, not commenting. That probably had something to do with it too but she didn't think it would be a safe thing to confirm.

"We'll fix it," she diplomatically supplied instead. "I'll have a talk with our mosasaurus experts about alternative meals and we'll systematically rotate the shark out. Do you have any alternate suggestions?"

"Not whitetips," Percy said fiercely, "or basking sharks, or hammerheads, or any other _scary_ —" Annabeth was impressed with the level of utter disdain he put in that single word "—sharks that are endangered."

Not exactly an alternative, Annabeth thought wryly but dutifully wrote down the names of the endangered sharks and made a note to double check any incoming supplies for endangered species.

"We'll give the problem appropriate attention," she promised.

Percy's mouth twisted but he peaked up at her, looking reluctantly mollified. Annabeth's lips started to twist and his almost pleasant expression evaporated, replaced with a scowl.

"It's not funny," he sulked, sinking lower into his chair.

"No," she agreed.

Staring at the sulking ex-marine biologist, remembering his outraged face and fervor, she was actually quite impressed with his passionate defense. She opened her mouth to say something to that effect when his phone rang. Percy pulled out an old, battered flip-phone that had Annabeth's eyebrows raise. He glanced warily at the number before wincing.

"What time is it?" He asked, lurching forward.

"You're only holding a phone," Annabeth huffed, rolling her eyes. "With a digital clock on it. It's a quarter to one."

Percy grimaced, lurching to his feet as he painstakingly typed out a text on his ancient phone, "No wonder Ethan's calling me, I missed lunch. Dammit, I gotta go. Oh, the girls are going to be angry with me."

"Good luck," Annabeth said, amused and unenvious.

"Don't go using any more endangered animals as snacks!" Percy called behind him, jogging out of her office with a casual 'hi Connor, bye Connor' as he passed the man's desk.

"Don't go in the cage without Ethan or Grover around to monitor you!" Annabeth called after him in return but she wasn't sure if he heard her or not. Not that it really mattered, she doubted she could get that rule through his thick skull. She'd seen the late night security footage after all.

She shook her head, turning back to her computer with a smile.

"You're smiling again."

"Go back to your desk Connor," Annabeth said, looking up with a half-hearted scowl. Connor grinned at her from the doorway, his elfish eyes twinkling.

"Wait, actually," she said as he cackled, half turning to return to his desk. "Can you pull up the footage from the last mosasaurus show?"

"Probably why?"

"I want to see if it captured something," she ambiguously replied, her lips twitching as she bent over her computer. "Send them to me when you get the time."

"Whatever you say, boss lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies, stay safe out there, okay?


	16. Chapter 16

"They were feeding it _great whites_."

"Oh for god's sake not this again."

Percy scowled, the phone wedged between the side of his face and his shoulder as he fiddled with the broken camera Diane may or may not have viciously disemboweled in an alarming feat of aerobatics late last night.

"What do you mean not this again?" Percy repeated scathingly as he ran his fingers over the two-inch deep gash along the side of the camera before giving up entirely at any chance of saving the poor thing. "Thalia, great whites are _endangered_ —"

"Endangered, yeah, yeah, yeah," Thalia cut him off, still not sounding the least bit concerned. "Annabeth's fixing it isn't she, so for the love of god let it go. And if you start singing that damn Disney song I will personally eviscerate you and save the raptors the trouble."

"You're mean and I hate you," Percy huffed, setting the camera aside and wondering what would upset Annabeth more, the ruined equipment or the fact that Diane had been able to leap three feet in the air to kill it. He wasn't entirely sure, he didn't know her well enough yet. "Put Jason on the phone, I like him better."

"Yeah me too," Thalia said dryly which hey—

"You're so mean," Percy complained, the phone giving off static before a deeper, slightly confused voice was asking 'hello'?

"Jason, Thalia's mean and Nico doesn't send me cookies so congratulations you're my favorite."

"You know you're the third Olympian to tell me that today," Jason said, laughing.

"Not an Olympian!" Percy could hear Thalia shout.

"I mean technically none of us are," Percy agreed with a shrug Jason couldn't see as he abandoned the poor camera and got up to scrounge around in his fridge before Grover showed up. "I'm a Jackson, you and Thalia are both Graces, and Nico a di Angelo so."

"We were all born to Olympian fathers and are a part of the Olympian family," Jason said diplomatically and in the background, Thalia snorted.

"Tell her to get away from the phone, she was mean and doesn't care about the _vicious_ and cruel _slaughter_ of _endangered_ creatures."

"Like I enjoy talking to you anyway," Thalia scoffed.

"She says you give her stomach ulcers," Jason said matter of factly, "and Nico said something to the same effect this morning."

"Talked to him did you?" Percy grinned, "Yeah he hung up rather abruptly on me the other day when I was integrating him about Will."

"Will? Who's Will?" Thalia interrupted suspiciously.

"You didn't tell her about Will?" Percy asked incredulously, reaching for the orange juice tucked away behind some suspicious smelling cheese he should probably throw out.

"I thought you were going to," Jason said, sounding equally surprised.

"Who's Will? Give me that phone—"

"Yeah hand it over, we've gotta talk about this. Talk to ya later Jace!" Percy called as there was a scuffle on the other end. He waited it out, twisting the cap off the juice and drinking straight from the carton. Somewhere in New York Sally was frowning disapprovingly but hey, he lived alone now. No harm no foul.

"Will?" Thalia repeated ominously as she won the phone match.

"Will Solace, a sophomore pre-med student, who Nico apparently has the hots for. Here, write this down."

There was a knock on the door and Percy twisted half around, frowning. Grover had no reservations about coming right in so maybe it was Ethan?

"S'open!" Percy called, then added into the phone, "I can't hack into the school's records but I figured that was something you could do. His dorm is right next to Nico's and apparently they have a study not-date this weekend."

"I'm going down there," Thalia said gravely as Jason sputtered in the background. "Jason pack your bags."

"You didn't rush over to me when I started dating Rachel back in college," Percy said, a little offended.

The door swung open and Percy barely glanced up, a quip about lab coats or some other ill-advised and really not all that funny joke about science on the tip of his tongue when he froze. Ethan wasn't standing in his doorway, but rather an unimpressed Annabeth Chase was instead.

Thalia was ignorant of his surprise and huffed in his ear, "That's because I didn't believe you when you said you had a girlfriend and who can blame me? You said she was rich and beautiful, how the hell could I have known that wasn't a lie?"

"Words hurt Thals," Percy said quickly, "but I gotta go. Don't rush out to Nico, just run the background checks like I told you and _then_ we'll talk about crashing his date okay? Gotta go, love you."

"I don't even want to know," Annabeth said when he hung up. "Where's the camera?"

"Ah, on the table," Percy said, tucking his cell into his pocket and twisting the cap back on the juice before returning it to its rightful place behind the suspicious smelling cheese.

Annabeth nodded, ducking inside. Percy couldn't help but blink at her in shock as she strode forward and picked up the deceased camera, frowning as she turned the mangled equipment over in her hands. Annabeth Chase was in his trailer. She didn't seem concerned by the mess, or maybe surprised was the better word. She wasn't _surprised_ by the mess. Her blonde curls seemed to almost form a halo around her frowning face, like there was a mildly affronted and put upon angel in the middle of his trailer.

"She jumped and got it?" Annabeth asked, which snapped Percy out of his stupor.

"Ah yeah," he confirmed, wiping his hand across his mouth and praying his breath wasn't too citrusy as he stepped up to her side. Wiping his hand in turn on his pants, he elaborated, "the camera was rotating as I was leaving the paddock and I don't know, I just felt like something was wrong so I turned around and. . . she jumped, straight up to slash at it."

"The adjacent camera caught it all on video," Annabeth muttered. "I know Doctor Grant's reports claimed that raptors could jump vertically up to four feet but . . ."

"To see it is terrifying," Percy finished for her. She glanced up, pushing her hair back to level a dry stare at him.

"We can literary hear you say awesome on the video."

"Oh, ah, could you?" Percy coughed, "could, ah, we not tell Thalia that?"

"I think she already knows all about your lack of self-preservation," Annabeth said with a roll of her eyes. The corner of her mouth twitched as she said it though so he knew she wasn't too exasperated. He rather thought she was starting to like him actually. "Besides all the cameras in the raptor paddock live stream to her laptop."

"What," Percy asked in horror, "wait, all of them?"

Annabeth hummed under her breath, ' _she knows when you've been bad or good'_ , nodding her head to the side. Percy cracked up and she grinned wryly at him.

"Christmas music playing at the park already?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to talk about it," Annabeth said wrinkling her nose as Percy opened the trailer door. The sun shone brightly in the sky, beaming happily down on the pair as they made a beeline for the paddock as if by some unspoken agreement.

"You can escape down here at the raptor paddock anytime you like, promise we don't play any premature Christmas music."

"I just might take you up on that offer," Annabeth said, smiling slightly at him.

Percy waited a beat and then added, "We only play Disney music."

"Liar, no you don't," Annabeth immediately returned, laughing as she bumped him with her shoulder.

"No, it's the truth. Disney and Brittany Spears, although the last one is all Grover's fault. He likes to live in the past—but yeah Disney year round here. _Let it go, let it go_ —"

"Oh my god shut up or I'll lock you in the paddock and throw away the key," Annabeth threatened, but the effect was lost as her shoulders shook and eyes shone with amusement.

Percy's own face twisted up in reply, his shoulders brushing against hers as they walked. It occurred to him that maybe he should step away, they were probably far too close to be 'professional' but . . . he didn't really want to.

"Hey Perce I was just about to go get you—blah-ah-ah, ah, hello to you too Annabeth."

If Annabeth thought there was anything strange about Grover's nervous its-not-a-bleep-Percy-shut-up she didn't say anything. "Good morning Grover, were you there to witness Diane's jump last night?"

" _Yes,_ " Grover said, the traitor, his eyes going wide. "Ethan says we need to start weaning Percy from the paddock."

Percy wrinkled his nose but didn't dispute the statement. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him, somehow managing to look both challenging and amused.

"We have a schedule," he told her. "I'm cutting back on the amount of time I spend in the paddock and getting the girls used to living without my delightful company."

Annabeth snorted at that and Percy grinned. Grover watched them with wide, oddly interested eyes. Percy frowned at him and a slow grin made its way up his face. Which, creepy. Percy frowned harder at him, trying to figure out the sudden change in his friend's demeanor. He came up with nothing so he settled for suspiciously eyeing his best friend.

"Are you still going in regularly?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes," Percy said, clearing his throat and turning his attention back to the park manager. "We don't want to startle them by abruptly changing their routine. This week we're starting to slowly cut back on the number of hours I spend inside the paddock."

"Good," Annabeth said, nodding. "I'll speak more to Ethan about it later."

"Are you staying for today's training or heading back to the park?" Percy asked as they reached the paddock gates. None of the girls were in sight, but they never really were the welcoming committee type. Well, except maybe Ceres.

Annabeth's lips turned down as she squinted against the sun at her car. _Stay_ , Percy thought, trying to keep his face cool and relaxed as he punched in the code for the first set of doors. The bushes across the way rustled and he made a 'watching you' motion so the girls would know they'd been spotted.

"Well, I am already here and there's a distinct lack of Christmas music," Annabeth mused, smirking wryly at him.

Percy laughed freely, relieved. "That's the spirit."

The gate opened with a metallic groan and he slipped inside, deftly reaching out to grab his hat and the dog clicker as he waited for the door to slide shut behind him. As if on cue, right as the first gate clicked shut, Brittany Spear's _Hit Me Baby One More Time_ started playing. Annabeth's eyebrows skyrocketed and she wheeled around to stare wide-eyed at where Grover was yelping and trying to quiet his I-pod.

"Blah-ah-ah sorry I—I thought it was turned off, let me just—"

"And you thought I was kidding," Percy said when Annabeth glanced back him, cracking up as he tugged his hat on and stepped passed the second set of doors. He thought he saw Annabeth smiling as he turned to greet his girls.

Juno strode out of the forest first, head high and eyeing Annabeth suspiciously. Minerva followed, walking almost elegantly as she gave her audience one disinterested look. Diane slunk in next with a happy Ceres on her tail. Ceres chirped at Percy and he smiled fondly down at her, mimicking the sound back much to the raptor's pleasure. Juno snorted, side-eyeing Percy with her little black eyes, head only half turned in his direction, before chittering.

"Yeah, I know you still love me," Percy grinned. Juno snorted again, looking annoyed so Percy quickly chittered back at her.

"What are we doing today?" Annabeth asked and his eyebrows rose in surprise as he realized her voice wasn't coming from behind the fence but in his ear. He turned around and saw her putting on Ethan's headset.

"That's not sanitary," he called.

"Shut up and train your girls Percy," came the reply and Percy laughed.

Juno croaked in indignation and Percy smiled fondly at her, clenching his hands into fists to restrain himself from reaching out and petting her. Grover didn't appreciate that on a good day and Percy had a feeling Annabeth would have a zero tolerance policy on touching the raptors.

"Love you too," Percy said instead, chittering at her. "Come on, ready to run off some energy? First girl to the track gets reckless bare handed petting—"

"No they don't," Annabeth said firmly in his ear as the girls raced on ahead, Percy jogging behind them. "If they get bare handed petting or _any_ kind of petting, the raptor trainer is getting a one-way ticket back to New York."

Percy threw his head back and laughed at that, twisting around to mockingly salute up at the park manager before diving into the trees. Minerva tilted her head at him and Percy peeked up through the bushes, his hand hesitantly reaching out—

"Don't even think about it."

"S'creepy," Percy hissed, making a face at Minerva. She gave him the stink eye before disappearing into the bush. "What, not even going to volunteer to protect alpha? Rude."

The other three were impatiently waiting when he got to the track. Diane was standing off to Juno's left, still a little wary of baby sister Ceres. Ceres chirped excitedly at Percy and his mouth twisted up as he blew her a kiss.

"Okay, no live prey today girls, sorry, instead we're just going to get some of that energy out of you. We do have nice, already dead meat for you at the finish line though so yay!"

"Does he always talk to them like that?" Annabeth's exasperated voice crackled in his ear. "He sounds like my junior track coach."

"Always," Grover groaned and Percy made a face at the nearest camera.

"Okay, we're going this way today," Percy explained, bringing the girls to the makeshift training course.

Percy and Ethan tried to change the course up every time they took the girls out. They were frighteningly quick learners and neither of them wanted to risk the girls getting bored. Today—

"Alright, we're going backward today. Not like, _doing_ the course backward, but like the course is switched around so we're starting where we ended last time, and you don't care, yes I know," Percy said as Diane shrieked at him. "At least pretend like you do, for alpha yeah? Where was I? Oh yeah, backward but not really. Right. So, you know the drill, sharp corners, round turns, go as fast as you can, blah, blah, blah. All you really care about is the treat at the end I know. Come on, impress Ms. Park Manager for me okay?"

Annabeth huffed in his ears as the girls restlessly prowled, eyeing the landscape before them with sharp, keen eyes.

"Make alpha look good," Percy whispered loudly. Juno huffed, the little drama queen, but Ceres happily chirped at him. "That's my girl. Okay."

He held the clicker up high and all four heads came up with it, the girls pulling themselves up to their full heights. Percy took a second to mournfully stare at the top of Juno's head, which rested two or three inches above his waist. This was why they were weaning him out of the paddock, he thought sadly. Then he shook the thought away, _focus, enjoy it while you can, it's not like the girls are going_ _anywhere_ , before he gave three sharp clicks.

The girls shot off like bullets, colorful silent bullets that disappeared into the brush with a quick swish of their tails.

"How do you get them to follow the right route?" Annabeth asked as Percy started to make his way over to the finish line.

"Scent," Percy explained, ducking low under a branch. "We take the meat and rub it over the route. We also strategically place fake rocks and other little physical barriers for like turns and stuff. Doesn't do any good if the girls run into them, they get utterly demolished, but the girls know by now that it slows them down and they should try to avoid it. Hey, did you get that email I sent about the pond thing?"

"I did," Annabeth said. "In theory, that's a great idea—" Percy grinned, she thought his idea was _great_ —"but the problem lies in actually setting it up. We don't want you in the paddock any more than strictly necessary and nobody else is going to want to work while the girls in the cage. And it's not like we can take them out."

"They have their little in-paddock cages," Percy reminded her, pushing a low lying tree branch out of his way. "We used it for the vet checkup remember?"

"Still makes people nervous. And the girls get restless if they're left in it too long and we don't want to purposefully aggravate them. So we would only be able to work for short periods of time and what's stopping the girls from destroying our work between sessions? I image they won't like strange equipment in their paddock."

Percy paused, frowning. "Yeah, I guess that's a good point. I hadn't thought about that. They wouldn't like it."

"Do you hear that?" Percy asked suddenly, frowning as he came to a stop.

"Hear what?" Grover's voice crackled, on edge at once.

"Nothing," Percy said, brow furrowed as he pivoted around, staring through the leaves in confusion. "I mean, that's the problem. I don't hear anything. No barriers being broken, no girls shrieking in frustration. Nothing. I don't get it. They couldn't have finished yet, I sent them all the way around the paddock, I was just cutting through—"

A blood-curdling shriek suddenly shattered the calm. Percy violently flinched as the call sounded only inches from his ear, crying out in alarm as he threw himself to the side. Something white hot sliced across his arm, the shriek turning into a strangely soft coo as Percy tumbled back, falling flat on his ass. He gasped, scrambling back until he hit a tree, heart pounding erratically and mind jumping as voices shouted in his ears but the roaring in his ear was louder and—

"Dammit Minerva," Percy gasped, sucking in a deep breath, then another because he felt like all the oxygen had been forced out of him.

Standing before him, Minerva made a loud noise, tilting her head to the side as she eyed him with interest. There was another shriek and Percy tried not to flinch, grimacing as another figure tore through the leaves. Ceres appeared from the dark, head whipping to the side. She looked at Percy, panting on the ground, then at Minerva. She gave a loud, throaty shriek and she interjected herself firmly between them, claws extended threateningly towards Minerva.

"Percy!"

"I'm, I'm—you scared the hell outta me," Percy gasped, clutching his chest, the rebuke meant for the raptor.

The motion caused his arm to tingle and a twinge of pain laced up it. Percy blinked down at it, detachedly watching as bright red blood ran down the back of his arm. Minerva hissed, whipping around to glare at the camera that suddenly swiveled.

"Dammit," Percy repeated, furious with himself for letting his fear show. Dammit, that was bad. He messed up.

"You're—dammit Percy that's blood, you're bleeding, that's, that's a lot of blood—"

"M'fine," Percy said, using his good arm to force himself to his feet. His sudden adrenaline spike was dying down, leaving him to feel an increasing painful sting along his arm. "She didn't mean to, she was just trying to sneak up on me—"

"She was hunting you, dammit get out of the paddock, we can't tranquilize the girls while you're under the cover of trees—"

"Don't," Percy said, shaking his head to try and clear some of the cloudiness that settled over him. "Don't, they'll be so pissed. Okay, okay I'm coming towards the door because I'm bleeding and she knows she frightened me, dammit."

Minerva watched his arm with interest. Percy clutched his arm tightly against his chest, trying to keep his head high and back straight as he shot her a stern, disapproving look before making a bee-line for the paddock door. His heart was still pounding and he cleared his throat, trying to calm it. Minerva tried to follow him, scenting the air with interest, but Ceres jumped in front of her, giving ear shattering shrieks as she blocked the path.

"Good girl Ceres," Percy said and he was proud of how level his voice was.

He spared a moment to be grateful he wasn't too far from the paddock doors as he burst through the leaves into the clearing. Diane and Juno had to know something was wrong by now and he really wanted to get his freshly bleeding arm out of here before they showed up.

Annabeth had opened the first set of doors. She stood, her jaw clenched as she tightly grabbed the second set with white knuckles, Grover at her side. The park radio was held up to her mouth, gray eyes watching Percy brightly.

"Don't you dare open that door," Percy snapped, pain and anger making his voice sharp. "You will be invading their territory and they will tear you apart. Step back."

"She's right behind you," Grover said nervously, eyes wide.

"Tell those damn idiots to lower their guns," Percy said sharply. "Don't you dare shoot my girls. She'll stay back."

He didn't know which raptor they were talking about but he hoped it was Minerva or Ceres. _Calm_ , he reminded himself, taking a deep breath through his nose as he closed the distance between himself and the gate.

"Get back," Percy repeated, "there's a reason we have double doors, so if one of the girls ever manages to get passed the first they'll still be stuck. It won't let me open the inner door until the outer one's shut so if you don't mind."

Annabeth gave a jerky nod, taking a step back. She spared a glance at Grover before swiping her card on the pad.

"You were supposed to be outside the second—oh never mind, fine stay," Percy said in exasperation as Annabeth's eyes flashed challengingly.

Percy dared to look over his shoulder. Minerva hovered by the tree line, warily eyeing an overprotective and enraged Ceres. The bushes rattled and Percy just knew it was Juno. Well, shit.

The inner paddock door opened with a low groan and Percy slipped inside before it could open more than a crack, curling in so his good shoulder was the one banging against the metal as he squeezed by. Either Grover or Annabeth was quick to flip the switch so the door started closing again. Half turned, ignoring the human hands that were grabbing him, Percy looked over at the paddock. Juno was watching him, head held high. Dark reptilian eyes steadily met his and Percy's stomach dropped; in that moment, he knew everything was going to change.

The moment broke and he was thrown back into real time as he was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and spun around. Percy's mind whirled, a litany of _gotta move, gotta move, gotta move._

"Send an ambulance down to the raptor paddock—what are you doing?" Annabeth demanded testily, still half speaking into her radio as she tried to manhandle him. Percy pushed her hands away, reaching around to open the second paddock gates and usher both her and Grover out.

"We need to get away from the paddock, Grover go get that hose would you?" Percy said.

Annabeth was trying to reach his bloody arm so Percy figured the best way to get her to move away from the paddock like _they needed to_ was to deny her access. He held the limb close and took several long strides away from the paddock as the doors slid shut.

"Hose? We need to stop that bleeding, Percy, stop it and sit down so we can stop the bleeding, you're a—"

"It's not the first time an animal's opened me up," Percy tried to reassure, not stopping, "but we need to be away from the paddock okay? It's not even that bad, it just looks worse than it is. I'm more likely to die from infection than blood loss, trust me."

Annabeth glanced over her shoulder at the paddock, one arm on Percy's back. She gave him a shove and he stumbled sideways, ducking behind the bathroom stalls that lined the edge of the area. "Okay, we're far enough away from the paddock now so sit down, get that shirt off. God, I can't believe she tore through the material, I thought this was supposed to—"

"She would have gotten me deeper without it," Percy rationalized, awkwardly trying to tug the shirt over his head. It snagged on his stupid hat and he cursed, floundering as his arm protested the sharp movements. A hand on his back stilled him and he let Annabeth tug both offensive articles over his head.

"It's not that bad," Percy said, twisting to look at the now bare arm. Blood still trickled down the tanned skin, little rivers of red that dripped off the ends of his fingers to gather at their feet.

"Oh, there's less blood than I thought," Grover said, appearing around the corner with the hose in tow. "Quick come here."

Percy sidestepped Annabeth to hold his arm under the hose's spray.

"Ah—" he complained at the first splash, running his hand over the cut to try and get out any dirt from his fall or god only knows what else lurked in Minerva's claws.

"You shouldn't use your hands," Annabeth said, her voice harried. "They're just as dirty, here let me."

Then she was stepping into his space, ignoring how water and blood splashed up against her nice white shirt to run her hands over the cut. "Here, Grover, give me the hose. Do you have the first aid kit? We need to wrap this before we take him up to the park."

"It's not that deep—"

"It needs stitches, shut up, Grover the kit."

"I got it," Grover said. "It's okay, we've done this before. Trust me, this cut is nothing compared to the one time that tiger shark latched onto Percy."

"God you're a disaster," Annabeth said, stepping back as Grover gently pushed her aside. He briefly ran Percy's discarded shirt over the wound to try and dry it, at least a little, before tightly wrapping a bandage around the cut.

"There, he shouldn't bleed to death on the way to the hospital," Grover said with a weak grin. He squeezed Percy's good shoulder and Percy gave a weak chuckle.

"I ah, think the adrenaline's wearing off," he said, holding his shaking hand up for the pair to see.

"Hospital," Annabeth repeated forcefully.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Almost done," the doctor murmured as he worked, bent low over Percy's arm as he concentrated on his task. "I think you'll be left with ten stitches on this laceration."

"Eh, ten stitches is nothing. I once had—" Percy's brow furrowed as he thought—"you know, I don't remember how many stitches I needed for the tiger shark incident Grover was talking about. A lot. Thalia would know. She texts me the number sometimes when I've been particularly stupid. Ah! Seventy-two!"

"Seventy-two?" Annabeth repeated, her voice a mixture of disgust and disbelief.

The park manager was sitting, arms and legs crossed, across from the hospital bed Percy sat on. The foot resting on the floor was tapping with either impatience or nerves, he wasn't sure which, but the _tap, tap, tap_ was a nice distraction from the sound of his skin being literally sewed back together. "What the hell happened that you needed seventy-two stitches?"

"A tiger shark," Percy repeated.

The look she gave him probably should have shut him up, but maybe it was the medicine the doctors gave him or the strange way the light sat atop her golden hair but he just grinned stupidly at her, tilting his head to the side.

"You're an idiot," Annabeth said sharply.

She hadn't looked at the doctor once, Percy noticed. Maybe she didn't like needles. She didn't have to stay with him, Percy thought. Grover could have stayed. Hell, nobody had to stay, Percy was a big boy. Still, he liked the company and he just continued to grin stupidly at her. Her eyes were _really_ gray, he thought, like the underbelly of a hammerhead. He opened his mouth to blurt the thought out but bit it back at the last second. Girls didn't like being compared to sharks, did they? Was that an insult? It shouldn't be. Sharks were great.

"Yep," he settled on instead, popping the 'p'. Her eyes started to drift towards the doctor, her nose wrinkling. She looked upset. He didn't like that; he racked his brain for something to say to distract her and get that look away.

"She was a big tiger shark," he found himself babbling. "A good, pffft, fifteen feet long, which isn't as big as they can get and not as big as my girl Hera, but that's not important. The fact was she was still pretty big."

Annabeth's eyes returned to Percy's face, one eyebrow raised over a slightly amused, slightly exasperated expression. It wasn't an upset look though, so he was marking that down as a 'win'.

"She was beautiful too, but again not really important. I mean, _important_ , but not to the story. She was big. And beautiful but yeah big. And she was caught in a fishing net. It was pupping season and she was very close to pupping and they get testy when they're close to pupping. I mean, testier than usual. They're also testy during mating season, but again I guess that's not important. She was testy and caught in this net and we were off the coast of—New Zealand? Yeah, New Zealand. Also very beautiful. At least the water and the hospital they took me too were.

"We were just supposed to be documenting the pupping and were told to avoid the animals because, you know, _testy_. But she was going to drown. You could see it, you know? She had almost utterly exhausted herself. She just barely had the energy to swim and she was dangerously oxygen deprived. If I didn't help her she was going to die and her baby was going to die, and how was that fair just because some jerk illegally put his net out?"

"So you decided to save her," Annabeth said, her lips twitching up. Percy blinked at the sight before nodding.

"Yeah, I mean, why did she need to die? But you can't exactly tell a stressed out, overly hormonal shark you're 'just here to help'. I cut her pectoral fins lose and I dunno, the freedom that gave her spurred her hope or will to live on or something and she spun around and started biting. She got me on the torso once, a rather light bite but I needed to get her caudal fin free and, well, she _really_ didn't like that and she chomped down on me then, hard. It hurt, a lot more that this little cut."

Annabeth grimaced and it occurred to Percy that maybe this wasn't the greatest story to get her mind off the stitches.

"I'm just glad there weren't any other sharks in the area," Percy said. "They would've been drawn in by my blood and I probably wouldn't have gotten back up to the boat. I lost consciousness on the way to the hospital so I don't really remember much passed that. It's a good thing Grover knows my blood type . . . and my full medical history," he added thoughtfully.

"You're an idiot," Annabeth repeated, shaking her head. "It's a miracle you're still alive."

"That was the worst bite I ever received if we're measuring in like, stitches and blood loss."

"And if we're not?" Annabeth asked dryly.

"If we're measuring by other deadly means, a lemon shark once bit me and left a tooth behind. Didn't know it until about two weeks later when my leg puffed up with infection. Oh and a sand tiger shark once bit my respirator clean in half. That was kinda scary. I mean, A, teeth close to the face, and B, I was real far down without a way to get oxygen."

"You should be locked up," Annabeth declared. "Is he all good?"

The doctor had finished, washing his hands in the sink as Percy dragged up old memories. Percy blinked and looked down at his arm, which was pink and had a neat little row of stitches in it. He poked it experimentally and Annabeth gave a pained sigh, leaning forward to grab his hand and pull it away.

"He should be all set, but he should have a checkup in the next five to seven days to make sure no foreign material contaminated the wound. We can never be too careful with dinosaurs."

"Right, come on Percy," Annabeth said, tugging his hand away from his arm once more as she led him out of the room.

"I wasn't going to touch it," Percy tried to protest, but then he saw—"Hey Ethan!"

The one-eyed scientist strode towards them, his face unimpressed. "One day, Perseus, I was gone for one day. What happened?"

Percy grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "I messed up Ethan, I really messed up. Minerva jumped out at me and I freaked. She was testing her boundaries, like we knew they were, and trying to see if she could sneak up on alpha. Well, she could. And not only that, but I reacted. My heart rate skyrocketed, I started pumping out adrenaline and by jerking aside her claw left me a nice little gash."

He held his arm forward as proof. Ethan nodded, frowning.

"That's unfortunate."

"But Percy's bled before," Annabeth said, "so should it really be all that big of a—?"

" _Yes_ ," Percy blew out a long breath. "Because I acted like _prey_. They know what live prey sounds like now and I sounded like _prey_. My heart raced, I smelled like adrenaline and fear and well, add the blood to all that mix and—"

"Prey. Alpha looks like prey," Ethan finished. "Which is bad."

"I'm going to lose them quicker now aren't I?" Percy asked dejectedly.

"Yes, we should ween you out quicker than we planned," Ethan agreed with a short, clinical nod. "No more going into the forest with them, keep them in plain sight at all times and you shouldn't run any sort of exercises while still inside the paddock."

"That sucks," Percy grumbled, reaching over to scratch his arm. Annabeth snatched it away before he could.

"Stop that," she said firmly. "You'll tear them out. That was too close Percy—"

"Again, nobody was actively trying to hurt me," Percy felt compelled to point out. "And did you see Ceres?"

Both Annabeth and Ethan ignored him.

"Take him back to his trailer and see that he gets rest," Annabeth said, pushing Percy forward like he was an unruly child. As Percy started to protest she leveled with a fierce, no-nonsense glare. "I have to call Thalia and tell her what happened before she finds out some other way."

Percy shut his mouth because nobody deserved shit before they called Thalia with bad news. Dammit, she was going to kill him. Well, at least Nico would be able to go on his not-date now.

"Best of luck," Percy said gravely, saluting her. She rolled her eyes as he grinned.

"I need an aspirin," she sighed as she walked away, already typing away on her phone.

"Isn't she the greatest?" Percy asked as Ethan ushered him out of the hospital. Ethan just stared at him. Percy stared back.

"So . . . did you mean what you said about not being in the paddock during exercises?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My knowledge of medicine is shady at best so take everything in this chapter with a grain of salt. I really have no excuse for Percy's slightly loopy behavior other then I wanted to write slightly loopy Percy. Let's say that the concoction of numbing medicine and all the crap they'd have to give him just in case of infection and god only knows what other dinosaur related complications caused his loopiness. My shark knowledge, on the other hand, you can trust. Speaking of which it's Shark Week; can't wait to see if I'm going to be disappointed by fake 'science' or impressed with accurate representation this year. Who knows, Discovery always likes to surprise me.
> 
> Love you all!


	17. Chapter 17

"Mission move the chips to the shoulder is a success!" Connor cackled in delight, watching as one of the pachycephalosaurus, the juvenile male they first performed the operation on, edged away from the invisible fence, shaking his head and snorting.

Annabeth let out a sigh, feeling tension slowly leak out of her body one over-stressed muscle at a time. Connor alerted her the second the young male had approached the invisible barrier and the whole control room watched with bated breath as the dinosaur approached the perimeter. _Please let it work, please let it work_ , Annabeth prayed feverously and her prayers were answered. The buck snorted, shaking his head as the vitals on the left of the screen flashed, indicating the chip releasing a shock. Irritated, the buck shook his head some more, turning away from the invisible fence and ambling back towards his herd.

A cheer went up in the control room, people laughing and slapping each other on the back. Connor sent Annabeth two big thumbs up and Annabeth allowed herself to relish in the moment. She sent him a wry grin that morphed into a real, genuine smile as she brought her coffee up for a drink

"Not quite a success yet, but that's an encouraging sign," Annabeth said, knowing she had to be the ever constant voice of reason.

"To an encouraging step then," Connor laughed, tipping his nonexistent hat at her.

"To encouraging steps," Annabeth echoed, raising her coffee like it was a wine glass and smiling warmly as Connor laughed in delight. She good naturally sipped her coffee as the crew celebrated in good cheer. It _was_ a success, even if it was not the big picture win quite yet. But it was something to celebrate.

"Alright, good work everyone," she said, gathering her files and tablet together as she finished off her coffee. "Take an extra-long lunch break today, you all deserve it."

"Where are you going, missy?" Connor tried to intercept, jumping over his desk to try and bar her way.

Annabeth shook her head, amused despite herself, and tried to sidestep him. Sensing her plan, Connor lunged forward, snatching her coffee and retreating with a victorious look on his face, holding the cup over his head.

"Ah-ha! You can't go anywhere without your—"

"Empty," Annabeth smirked, pressing the down arrow for the elevator. Connor's smirk slipped as he shook the empty cup in his hand, scowling.

"Oh no fair," he complained, tossing the empty cup into the garbage. "Curse your quick drinking habits."

"I need the caffeine and I need it immediately," Annabeth said, laughing. "I don't take pleasure slowly sipping on coffee. And to answer your question, I'm heading to the raptor paddock."

"To see Percy?" Connor asked, head whipping around in alarm. "Why? What happened this time?"

"Nothing," Annabeth assured him. "I just want to make sure he's not bleeding to death because he tore his stitches out. Or ignoring my orders and climbed back into the raptor paddock."

"The raptor barely got him through right?" Connor checked. "I mean, Thalia didn't fly out here so I figured . . . "

"I mean it wasn't barely, but it wasn't serious," Annabeth said, remembering all the blood. Remembering all the blood also brought up the memory of Percy's slightly drugged, ridiculously lopsided smile as he talked about his near-death experiences and she had to shove that distracting thought away.

"And I talked to Thalia," Annabeth said, grimacing at the reminder. "I think Percy talked her out of it."

"I could hear her shouting when you called," Connor winced sympathetically. "Something about ' _dammit Jason, pack your bags we're really leaving this time?'"_

"Yeah that's about when she hung up on me," Annabeth said, shuddering a little at the memory. "Percy faced the rest of her wrath. I don't know what happened after that. She hasn't shown up yet, so either he calmed her down or somebody was murdered. I'm not entirely sure I want to know."

"Best of luck," Connor said gravely, saluting her.

"Thanks," Annabeth said wryly as the elevator _dinged._ "And I meant it about the long lunch. Go bother Travis or Katie."

"You're the best Annie!" Connor shouted as the doors slide shut, cackling as she scowled at the dreaded nickname.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When she pulled into the raptor paddock half an hour later, Percy was lounging outside the gates, staring moodily into the enclosure. Ceres was curled in the dirt by the fence, cleaning her scales and occasionally chirping up at Percy.

"So Thalia hasn't murdered you," was Annabeth's greeting.

The raptor trainer twisted around at her call, blinking up at her in mild surprise before grimacing. "Not yet," he agreed. "But one of these days she's just going to snap, I know it."

"Can't exactly say I blame her," Annabeth said dryly as she approached the paddock. Ceres curiously eyed her, cawing once.

Percy cawed right back at her, like he was a raptor or something, the dork, she thought, rolling her eyes. Ceres look satisfied though, returning to the task of cleaning her scales.

"Ethan says I'm not allowed in the paddock today," Percy said crossly.

"No," Annabeth agreed. "Your days of being allowed in the paddock are numbered. I don't suppose you remember that gash along your arm?"

She sat down next to him in the grass and Percy's eyebrows just about skyrocketed into his hairline. She raised her challengingly in reply, holding a hand out. He knew what she wanted without her having to ask, holding his injured arm out for inspection. Annabeth turned the arm over, carefully examining the neat row of stitches along the tan skin. He hadn't pulled any out and it wasn't puffed up or irritated. Satisfied, she let him take his arm back.

"I half expected to find them torn out," Annabeth said as he absently scratched the arm. "Stop that," she added, smacking his hand.

Percy scowled at her and from behind the fence, Ceres shrieked. "Mean right?" Percy asked the raptor. "First she thinks I'm irresponsible then she hits me! Can you believe the abuse your alpha has to put up with? And I've had stitches _before_ you know," he said, turning to her, "and I managed to survive that."

"So I hear," Annabeth said, gently nudging him with her shoulder, smiling. "Idiot. So, why _isn't_ Thalia here?"

Percy's brow furrowed, his eyebrows drawing together at the question. "I don't really know," Percy admitted. "And it's freaking me out a little. She was screaming at me, and telling Jason to pack up, and she was looking into booking a flight out here as she told me all the colorful ways she was going to kill me when . . . I dunno, she got this terrifyingly thoughtful look on her face. She just kind of stared at me for a while, then starting talking about all the horrible ways she'd kill me if anything like this happened again."

"She just, let it go?" Annabeth asked in confusion, then, as a grin cracked on Percy's face, swatted him on the shoulder. "Don't you dare sing the song."

Percy laughed, his shoulders shaking as he threw his head back. It disappeared from his face as he considered her question in earnest. "I don't know. It was weird. I was telling her about how you were there and that you made sure I didn't bleed to death and drove me up to the hospital personally and wouldn't leave until I was all stitched up and she just . . . got this _look_."

"I don't know what it means but it doesn't bode well for me," Percy said, pressing his lips together. He looked vaguely terrified and Annabeth couldn't help but laugh, taking pity on the poor guy.

"You shouldn't have worried her," Annabeth told him and he scowled, giving her a gentle shove.

"I never _mean_ to. It's not like I wake up in the morning and think: _hmm,_ you know what would be great? Getting my arm split open by a raptor! Gosh, that sounds like fun."

His eyes grew mockingly wide and serious, a fake smile plastered on his face and he looked so utterly ridiculous, Annabeth laughed.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to be the world's first velociraptor trainer," Annabeth reasonably pointed out and Percy made a face.

"Psh, what and give up the amazing opportunity to say I'm the world's first velociraptor trainer? No way! Besides," he grinned cheekily, "you'd miss my charming company."

"Oh yes, whatever would I do with one less Olympain, I mean Olympian," Annabeth deadpanned and Percy cracked up.

"Olym _pain_ oh god," he cackled, careening to the side as he clutched his side, "that's great. Oh god, my side, it hurts."

Annabeth rolled her eyes as he continued to crack up, doubling over as he laughed. Ceres looked a tad alarmed, cooing in concern and watching her alpha with wide eyes.

"He's fine, he's just an idiot," Annabeth assured her and the raptor blinked up at her, before hesitantly going back to clean her scales, eyeing Percy warily.

"Oh god, that's great, that's just _great,_ " Percy said, recovering himself and wiping a tear from his eye. "I'm going to have to use that the next time my dad calls."

"You're an idiot," Annabeth repeated but her voice was too fond and from the grin on Percy's face, he knew it.

"You like me," he said, grinning widely.

Annabeth pretended to think about it, twisted her face up thoughtfully. "I guess you're okay," she allowed and he scoffed.

"Psh, I'm great. Just ask Ceres; Ceres aren't I great?"

The raptor obligingly chirped and Percy's chest puffed out, looking for all the world like a proud father. Annabeth rolled her eyes again.

"Where are Ethan and Grover?" She asked, finally realizing that the other two members of the raptor team were conspicuously missing.

"Being jerks," Percy said cheerfully. "Grover went into the park for lunch and probably to sneak in a quick call to his girlfriend. Ethan said he was tired of me and stalked off to do science."

"And they trust you not to go in the cage?" Annabeth asked, impressed.

"No, they trust the fear of Thalia to keep me out of the cage," Percy corrected and Annabeth nodded her head, grinning as she conceded the point.

"Yeah, that definitely works much better," she allowed. "So, you haven't eaten lunch yet?"

"Nope," Percy said, just as cheerfully, popping the 'p'. "I'm sulking."

"Glad to hear you admit it," Annabeth said and he winked at her. She gave him a light shove, pushing herself to her feet and brushing grass off her pants. "Alright, enough sulking. You're going to come into the park with me. Go get changed."

Percy raised an eyebrow, not moving an inch. "I am?"

"Yes," Annabeth repeated forcefully, putting her hands on her hips and staring pointedly down at him. "You are going to eat lunch like a normal person, because you lost a lot of blood the other day, and then you're going to accompany me to the gyrospheres."

"I am?" Percy repeated stupidly and at her irritated look he quickly amended, "I am! I guess. Fine, help me up."

He held his arms up and Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she obligingly took his hands and hauled him to his feet.

"Oh boy," Percy groaned dramatically once on his feet, stretching his arms and arching his back until it cracked. His dirty, sweat-soaked shirt rode up as he stretched, revealing his stupidly perfect stomach and, hm, maybe he shouldn't change.

"Alright, I'll go change," Percy said, letting his hands drop and his shirt fell back to an acceptable level.

"I mean, what you have on now is probably okay," Annabeth said without thinking.

Percy looked confused, glancing down at his dirty, sweat drenched shirt. "Ah, it is?"

"I mean, you are a trainer and we will be working out in the sun, and," Annabeth tried to backtrack, "you know what, wear whatever you'll be most comfortable in."

Percy gave her an odd look. "Um, okay? I think I'll go change because I'm kind of sweaty and gross? Ah, yeah, be right back."

Annabeth shrugged, as if to say it didn't matter to her one way or another, as he jogged off to change, feeling mildly disappointed. Behind the paddock gate, Ceres made a low noise and Annabeth turned, staring at the raptor. Ceres tilted her head to the side and Annabeth swore the look she wore was disapproving, like the raptor was judging her.

"Oh shut up," she said, crossing her arms and feeling oddly defensive, "I'm only human you know."

Ceres made the noise again, swishing her tail. Annabeth eyed her warily but a second later, Percy was running back their way, wearing a fresh shirt and shorts.

"Ready to go, boss," he said, giving her a lopsided grin and she shook her head, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Idiot," she repeated but again it lacked all heat. She beckoned with her hand, digging her keys out as she headed away from the paddock. "Come on, lunch first and then to the gyrospheres."

"Lunch first, what a fine plan," he said gravely as he slipped into the passenger side of her car. "Oh, fancy."

"You have one almost just like it," Annabeth pointed out as she started the car and backed up, gravel crunching under the tires as they pulled away.

"Yeah, well, yours is still fancier," Percy said nonsensically, rolling down his window.

"What are you doing, I have the AC on," Annabeth started to say when Percy bodily leaned out the window, waving behind them.

"Bye girls! Alpha'll be back soon! Love you, behave!"

"Oh my god, seriously?" Annabeth asked, and she wasn't sure what was worse, Percy blowing a kiss at the paddock or that Ceres chirped happily after them. She reached out and grabbed the back of Percy's shirt, forcing him back inside the car. "You are an actual three-year-old, I swear, put your seatbelt on."

"Yes ma'am," he said cheekily, doing as she bid. "And I'll have you know that I am an _adult._ I raised four headstrong teenage girls you know."

"You haven't even had them for six months, calm down," Annabeth said as she rolled his window up, but she was smiling.

"Six long _arduous_ months—" Percy objected and huffed when her eyebrows rose at the word "—yes _arduous,_ I know what it means and I used it correctly, thankyouverymuch. You know, I don't think you appreciate my struggles as a single parent."

"You have Ethan and Grover," Annabeth said, not feeling the slightest bit sympathetic as she drove towards the park, the shadows of the trees that lined the way winking in and out of existence as they cruised by.

"Psh," Percy said with a wave of his hand. "They're like, moderately helpful uncles at best. _I_ do all the hard work."

"Moderately helpful uncles, I'm sure they'll appreciate that analogy."

"They usually don't, they hate my analogies," Percy mused, his brows pulling together.

"I wonder why?" Annabeth sarcastically replied and Percy just laughed.

"Oh, I've never been here before," Percy said as he followed Annabeth into her favorite restaurant ten minutes later.

It was a little sandwich shop tucked away in the corner of the park, meant for a quick on the go lunch for both employees and guests who were too excited to stop touring the park for long enough actually sit down and eat.

"Have you ever really explored the park?" Annabeth countered, holding up two fingers at the cashier, who nodded and starting making her usual.

"I mean, not really," Percy admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he rocked on his heels and glanced curiously around the little restaurant.

Annabeth looked back at him, watching his earnest, curious face as it interestedly took in the little carvings on the wall, his lips curling up in delight when he found a velociraptor. He reached forward to run a finger over the delicate carving, grinning broadly. Annabeth found herself smiling in return, paying for her lunch and then, on a whim, buying Percy's for him as well.

"You're allowed to come up to the park you know," Annabeth said, counting out exact change to hand over to the cashier, "we don't bite."

"Yeah, but who's to say I don't?" Percy asked, twisting around to grin rather wickedly at her.

She stared at his face in surprise, at the almost shark-like grin that graced his tan face. _Is he flirting with me?_ She wondered, her mind stuttering to a halt, heart jumping into her throat.

"Oh, how much?" Percy said, oblivious to her surprise. The wicked look vanished from his face, replaced with an almost childlike earnest one as he noticed she was holding two sandwiches.

_Probably not_ , Annabeth decided, her heart calming. She wasn't disappointed, she told herself firmly, that certainly wasn't the emotion that crept over her. It was _relief,_ because anything else would be weird and unprofessional and she _barely_ liked him—"I bought it," Annabeth said, pushing her thoughts aside as she pushed the sandwich into his hands.

"Oh, you didn't—" Percy started to say, looking surprised.

Irritated, Annabeth scowled. "I can buy you a damn sandwich Jackson don't be a—"

"Thank you very much," Percy said seriously, taking the sandwich. "But I have like, money now. Like, real money. I'm _barely_ in debt anymore you know."

Annabeth's shoulders relaxed and she huffed, smiling despite herself. "Barely?" She repeated as they walked out of the restaurant, peeling back the wrap on her sandwich.

"Barely," Percy repeated with a grin. "Soon I'll actually be able to like, buy stuff. Do you know how crazy that is? I can't remember ever being able to just _buy_ stuff before, it's great.

Annabeth smiled at his enthusiasm, it always seemed to be dangerously contagious, as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Well then, next time you can buy lunch," she said around a mouthful of turkey and ham.

"Okay, but that means next time we get something less healthy," Percy grinned, tearing the wrapper off his sandwich with his teeth.

Which.

Well.

Face hot, Annabeth pointedly focused on her sandwich. Look at that perfect balance of fresh vegetables and lean cut meat. How very interesting and noteworthy and not at all likely to give her a heart attack or inappropriate feelings.

"So, what're we doin' at the gyrospheres," Percy asked through what sounded like a mouthful of sandwich. Annabeth kept her eyes on her own sandwich, not willing to make the same mistake twice. It was safer to focus on her lunch.

"Monthly testing," Annabeth said, juggling her lunch around to pull out her tablet. She pulled up the spread on the gyrospheres. "We have to run a complete diagnostic test on the gyrospheres ever month to ensure maximum safety."

"So, we're going out in the glorified hamster wheels in the hopes they're strong enough that we don't get accidently crushed by dinosaurs?" Percy asked.

Annabeth huffed, daring to look up and give him a dry look. "Our gyrospheres are perfectly safe. It's a test to keep lawyers off our backs and to make sure, just in case, that we catch any bugs before they actually cause an issue. We test them so often that any _minor_ bug there may be won't be life threatening. You think I'd let you out in our _glorified hamster wheels,"_ she repeated with a smirk and a roll of her eyes, bumping her shoulder against his, "if I thought you were in the slightest bit of danger?"

"Aw, knew you liked me," Percy said, bumping her right back, grinning impishly.

"Please," Annabeth chuckled, pushing him back out of her space where he belonged, "it's not for _you._ Do you have any idea what Thalia'd do to me if I let you get trampled by a dinosaur? It's only in the name of self-preservation."

"Sure, sure," Percy said, grinning, "whatever you say Annabeth."

Annabeth didn't dignify that with an answer, licking a spot of mustard off the tip of her finger instead. When no more smartass comments were forthcoming she peered up at him, eyebrows raised. Percy was staring at her, eyes a little wide and face a little flushed. Annabeth paused, running over everything she just said to make sure she hadn't said anything too incriminating or embarrassing.

"So ah, the gyrospheres," Percy coughed, looking away.

_Men,_ Annabeth thought with a shrug of her shoulders, throwing her empty sandwich wrap away.

"The gyrospheres," Annabeth agreed as Percy's sandwich joined hers in the garbage can. "This way."

"So, you don't shut the ride down for the test?" Percy asked curiously as he trailed behind her. His face was still a little red but he seemed to be recovering from whatever caused his moment of weirdness.

"No need to," Annabeth said, leading the way to the gyrospheres enclosure. "We don't want to startle the guests, nothing's wrong after all, and the best way to do an unbiased test is to just take a randomly selected one out during operating hours."

"Cool. We get to cut the line right?" Percy asked, nervously eyeing the line for the gyrospheres and then frowning at the electronic timer hanging over the bright blue _Gyrospheres_ sign, whose block numbers warned of an hour and a half wait time.

"Oh god yes," Annabeth said, using her ID to get them passed the barriers and easily making their way on to the front of the exhibit. "I don't have the time to wait an hour and a half, I have a park to run. Besides, I couldn't subjugate myself to an hour and a half waiting in line with _you_."

"Ouch, what's with you and Thalia and the being mean? Words hurt," Percy complained, dramatically clutching a hand over his heart.

"Truth hurts," Annabeth called over her shoulder, smirking.

The young operator, a recent high school graduate here to work during their gap year, ushered them into the next available gyrosphere, much to the chagrin of the next guests waiting in line.

"They really are like human hamster balls," Percy said, climbing inside the gyrosphere after Annabeth.

Annabeth rolled her eyes as she clicked the x-shaped seatbelt into place. The reinforced glass of the circular vehicle—okay human hamster ball really wasn't far off the mark but she'd be damned if she admitted it, at least to Percy—was crystal clear and Annabeth made a mental note to check that off her list of concerns.

"Shut up," she said idly as he tried to settle down beside her, having some trouble situating his long legs in the enclosed space.

"What animals are in this exhibit anyway?" Percy asked as the operator released their gyrosphere.

The track rolled them out onto the grass, the tracks clicking lightly, where the engine kicked in and Annabeth used the clutch to roll them forward. Percy looked suitably impressed by the mechanics of it all, watching with wide, surprised eyes, and Annabeth smirked smugly at him, feeling quite proud of her park.

"Apatosaurus, parasaurolophus, stegosaurus, triceratops," Annabeth said, to list a few, "the so-called gentle giants." Then, frowning, added, "Put your seatbelt on."

"Yes Mom," Percy said with a snort, but he reached over and pulled the seatbelt across and clicked it into place, before giving her a sort of 'happy now' look.

"We're here to test the safety of the gyrospheres and you want to break the first instruction we give guests," Annabeth said with a click of her tongue.

"I'm sorry but to be fair, we skipped the line so those nice instructions in big block letters outside the ride? Yeah, I didn't get to read them."

"You wouldn't have read them even if we _did_ wait in line," Annabeth laughed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well I mean—fine tell me the rules then, oh wise one."

"Shut up," Annabeth said, smiling as they rolled towards the great pasture before them. The little television before them had flared to life, whatever actor of the month giving the usual spiel on safety that they both ignored as they drove deeper into the enclosure. The irony wasn't lost on her.

"Well rule number one is to buckle up," Annabeth said pointedly and Percy rolled his eyes, grinning. "Standard things after that, keep a respectable distance between yourself and the dinosaurs, the autopilot system will take over if you veer too close to one, and don't do anything the animals might interpret as threatening. Increase your distance by double around a mother and her young."

"I thought all the dinosaurs here were born in the labs?" Percy asked, gaping out at the triceratops that meandered closer to their gyrosphere.

It looked like one of their older ones, her horns were completely grown and their color had darkened from their newborn ivory to a hardened almost gray. They were close enough to see her great scales ripple with every lumbering step she took, like little tremors in the water as the wind blew.

"They are, but once they're old enough to be brought into the paddocks, we assign them 'mothers'. For the last few weeks of their stay in the nursery, we begin introducing them to the herd. Usually a mature member of the herd will, well, adopt the new young and take the infant under her care like a mother."

"Maternal instincts?" Percy asked.

"Well, our scientists think it's the herd mentality actually that's the driving force behind the behavior. Herds need strong members in order to be a strong herd. It's been observed in the wild, with non-dinosaurs, that in a herd, mature females will so-called 'adopt' motherless infants. Infants are important to the herd because they ensure longevity and the overall health of the collective, so adopting infants is actually quite important."

"Sweet."

"Yes," Annabeth admitted, feeling oddly light and carefree, "it is."

"So . . . we want to check and make sure all the hamster balls are working correctly, right?" Percy asked and his falsely innocent tone had Annabeth's eyebrows raising but she found no real concern followed their ascent as she peered at her companion.

"Alright, what stupid thing are you thinking?" She asked, sounding far too indulgent.

"Well, in the interest of, you know, _safety,_ we should make sure the gyrospheres' proximity alerts are working."

"You want to see how close we can get to the dinosaurs," Annabeth translated.

"I wanna get as recklessly close to the triceratops as possible yes," Percy agreed.

"And you say you don't _purposefully_ try to worry Thalia," Annabeth said with a disapproving click of her tongue. "Fine, hold on tight, Shark Whisperer, we're going in close."

Percy's little whoop of joy was almost worth the whiplash that came from getting too close to the triceratops.

"Speed topped out okay, you can check that off," Percy said, leaning over her shoulder twenty minutes later as they left the gyrosphere valley. Annabeth nodded in agreement, checking off the speed and acceleration parts of the test.

"I know I wrote down the rate of acceleration, where did I put it—" she muttered distractedly when someone called out;

"Percy! _There_ you are, I've been looking all over for you!"

"Oh hey G-man!" Percy shouted and Annabeth winced at the loud call so close to her ear, absently giving Percy a little shove so his mouth wasn't directly in line with her eardrum.

She peered up as Grover pushed his way through the crowd, staring at the pair in confusion. His brown eyes traveled over Annabeth then back up to Percy, who just smiled and gave a dorky little wave.

"It's feeding time for the girls," Grover said slowly as he reached them, eyes still flickering between the pair.

"Oh shit, right, what time is it?" Percy asked in panic, twisting around to yank his phone out of his pocket and check.

"Feeding time," Annabeth said with a roll of her eyes, pushing Percy forward. "Here, Grover, take him off my hands would you, my babysitting duties are done for the day—" Percy frowned, giving a mildly offended 'hey' as Grover grinned "—he's your problem now. Go feed your girls."

"You got it," Grover said, taking Percy by the arm.

He gave Annabeth a long searching look, one the gray-eyed woman didn't quite understand before turning away. Annabeth frowned.

"I had a lot of fun!" Percy called as Grover bodily dragged him away, twisting around to wave at Annabeth like an overgrown toddler. "The human hamster balls were great! I'll buy lunch next time!"

"I'll hold you to that," Annabeth said mildly. "Turn around before you trip and hurt yourself."

Percy laughed, twisting back around to grin down at his best friend. His hands started to rise and she shouted after him—

"And don't scratch the damn stitches!"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Somebody's in a good mood," Connor said cheerfully when she stepped out of the elevator. "The gyrosphere inspection do you some good?"

"Janitor duties," Annabeth idly threatened, breezing by his desk. "I'll have the gyrosphere results done by the end of the day Connor, I'll need you to format and then send them."

"Aye-aye madam. By the way, your computer keeps beeping at us. Think somebody's been trying to get you on video call."

"Thanks, Connor, I'll check it out," Annabeth said, using her hip to open her office door as she flipped through the mail she picked up on the way up. Tossing most of it aside, she took a seat behind her desk and pulled her computer towards her.

"Missed call from Luke Castellan," Annabeth said in surprise, reading the name that flashed across her screen.

She hadn't had the time to call him back since his last call those few odd weeks ago. Figuring she had enough time to squeeze a quick call in, and feeling moderately guilty that she hadn't called him back, Annabeth clicked the little green button in the corner and waited.

Luke's face materialized a moment later.

"Annabeth! You're alive! I'd almost thought the raptors ate you," he said, grinning wickedly.

The image on the screen was half cast in shadow, the room Luke was in had terrible lightening. His eyes almost seemed to be shining in the strangely lit room, a borderline gold-like color.

"Alive and accounted for," Annabeth said and had to fight down the strange urge to hold her fingers up, like Percy did whenever somebody teased him about becoming a human-sized raptor snack.

"And I'm _very_ relieved," Luke assured her, tilting his head forward. "So, how's my favorite park manager been? The raptors treating you good?"

"I've been busy, sorry I couldn't call before," Annabeth said, shuffling all the papers and whatnots on her desk as she spoke. "But you know how it is. Multimillion dollar parks hardly run themselves. The raptors are growing bigger and more aggressive by the day. We actually had an incident the other day—"

Luke's eyes grew wide at her words and he leaned forward, causing Annabeth to pause for a moment. He almost looked . . . well, excited.

"Percy's fine," Annabeth said slowly, "but he did need stitches."

"What did they do? Was it calculated attack or a foolish accident?"

Annabeth frowned. "Percy's a good handler," she said carefully, trying to force back the irritation that flared at Luke's insinuation. After all, Annabeth herself had been wary of Percy's skills. It wasn't something most people could believe until they saw him in action. Still, she felt her hackles rise a little, the urge to defend Percy causing her to say, "He understands the girls better than anybody else at the park, including the scientists. He wouldn't make a foolish mistake."

_Just the regular, honest ones,_ she thought wryly, remembering the gash along his arm.

"Really?" Luke cocked his head to the side. "You seem to have changed your tune regarding Jackson."

"I have," Annabeth agreed. "We had a misunderstanding but I think we see each other better now. In fact, he's been a great help to me these past few weeks."

Luke hummed. "I see. So, what new training awaits the raptors?"

"The usual," Annabeth said with a shrug, "prey runs, agility exercises. Things to keep them occupied and engaged without exposing them to too many dangerous skills."

It was Luke's turn to frown now. "Dangerous skills? Surely unlocking their full potential is—"

"Dangerous and reckless," Annabeth interrupted forcefully. "And would be needlessly endangering their keeper."

"Well, it's not like they're kittens," Luke pointed out. "And like you said, he only makes _honest_ mistakes. I'm sure he can get them to do amazing things if he tried."

"Maybe, but that doesn't matter," Annabeth stiffly replied, the conversation making her uncomfortable in a way she couldn't explain. "We're weaning him out of the paddock."

"What, no!" Luke exclaimed, sitting back in his chair. "No, Annabeth that's—"

"That's the best, most responsible and safest option," Annabeth said firmly. "I will not recklessly endanger Percy any more than I already have."

"But—"

"I have a lot of work to do Luke," Annabeth cut him off sharply, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on and that strange ball of discomfort in her chest only grew larger and larger with every protest the blond put up. "I have to let you go. Email me if you need any more research for your project. Good night."

She disconnected the feed before he could say anything else.

"Hey Annabeth, everything alright?" Connor asked, peeking his head in. "Who was the call from?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Annabeth said distractedly, pulling her tablet towards her and trying to organize her scattered thoughts. She ran a hand through her hair, not sure why she felt so unsettled. "It wasn't important, it's fine. I'll have the—"

"Gyrosphere write up for me in a jiffy yeah, yeah," Connor laughed, closing the door behind him. "Got it boss!"

"Got it," Annabeth repeated to herself. "Yeah, yeah I got it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No spell check, gyrosphere is what I meant please stop changing it to hydrosphere I don't appreciate it. 
> 
> My readers continue to be the best <3 Thanks lovelies


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not-dates, not-boyfriends, and maybe-friends

"The only reason I haven't booked a flight to come down there and feed you to the raptors myself is because I have a test on Monday," Nico muttered darkly, his face cast in shadow and looking downright murderous.

It was an expression that would scare the pants off of anybody else but Percy remembered a time when a tiny little ten-year-old Nico, swamped down in oversized sweatshirts and toting around Mythomagic cards, wore the same expression. With that image in mind, it was hard to feel anything other than fond amusement, like _ah, yes, they grow up so fast._

"And your not-date with Will," Percy pointed out, carefully pouring milk over his near overflowing bowl of Lucky Charms.

Sure he could just eat a normal size bowl and then refill it, but he didn't have time for that. Besides, he could make it work. A couple pieces of cereal fell out of his bowl but that was okay, they weren't the little marshmallow piece. He brushed the fallen cereal onto the floor, ignoring Nico's disapproving look.

"It's not a _date_ ," Nico repeated, aiming for scornful but missing the mark by, like, a hundred miles. His face was an interesting shade of red and he scowled when Percy smirked, diving his spoon into his bowl and whining when milk and cereal splashed everywhere.

"Oh no marshmallow pieces," Percy bemoaned, reaching behind him to grab a strategically placed towel. "And sure Nico, whatever you say. It's just two dudes hanging out, doing homework, dude-fully staring into each other's eyes and trying to come up with bro-tastic reasons to accidently end up making out on somebody's bed."

" _I'm going to kill you,"_ Nico promised, his face convulsing as he sank low into his chair. "I hate you so much. I don't know why I even cared when Thalia told me about the accident. And you know what—" Nico looked even more pissed off now "—she didn't even tell me until last night! You got your arm torn open _three days ago_ but I didn't know until last night!"

"You had a test—"

"I don't care!" Nico snapped, his eyes flashing. "You left school to pick Thalia up from Hera's before, during finals week too. You flunked that class. You two always tiptoe around me, like I can't make the same self-sacrificing and self-sabotaging decisions you two recklessly make."

"Well, we _are_ the older siblings—cousins," Percy said slowly, carefully cleaning up his cereal mess as he avoided looking Nico in the eye. "And we want you to be happy and have a good—"

"I deserve to know if you're in the hospital," Nico insisted angrily. "Do you think some stupid calculus test means more to me than you?"

"You're taking calculus?" Percy asked then backtracked as Nico's glare reached maximum murder level. "Right, not important right now, although may I say, wow, good luck buddy. And ah, I'm sorry? Kind of? Although to be fair, I didn't call Thalia either. Although, to be fair again, I did know Annabeth was going to call her right away so I guess . . . I'm sorry, but it really wasn't all that serious."

"I don't care," Nico furiously interrupted.

"Right, okay. I'm sorry," Percy said with an awkward shrug of his shoulders. "That wasn't . . . it's hard sometimes. We just want to protect you, you're our little Nico and sometimes we just don't tell you things because we think we know better. I guess, I mean I _know,_ that's not right. Sorry. We'll try to do better."

Nico looked slightly mollified, like he always did whenever Percy or Thalia reminded him that yeah, they weren't perfect, but they loved him a lot. The l-word, even when they didn't explicitly say it (they usually reserve that for extreme circumstances), softened Nico right up. He leaned back in his seat, still red in the face from leftover anger and probably some lingering embarrassment.

"You better. I really don't want to write your eulogy," Nico muttered under his breath. Then, throwing an arm out towards the screen, demanded. "Show me your arm."

Deciding not to be a jerk about it, Percy rolled up his sleeve and held the arm out for Nico's inspection, twisting around so all ten stitches were clearly visible.

"She barely got me," Percy promised, trying to hold his arm perfectly still so his crummy computer camera could pick up the image. "And they're weening me out of the paddock. I'm not allowed in during training exercises anymore."

"It doesn't look that bad," Nico who, like Thalia, had been there for the tiger shark incident, agreed. "And you better not. Or I _will_ come down there."

"Promises, promises," Percy said with a wave of his hand. Emotional crisis over, he felt it was safe to return to his cereal, scooping the now slightly soggy Lucky Charms into his mouth.

There was a slightly awkward silence where Nico just watched Percy shovel his breakfast in, still sulking and looking pensive as he continued to sink further and further down into his slightly crooked dorm chair.

"So," Percy said, putting the spoon down because god this was awkward and things shouldn't be awkward between him and Nico. "I promise not to tease okay? But, ah, tell me Will."

Nico's face flushed and he somehow managed to sink even further down in his chair. How he wasn't on the floor by now was beyond Percy. He pursed his lips, eyeing Percy warily. "You promise?"

"I mean, not _indefinitely,"_ Percy warned. "But, for now? Yeah, I promise. You want someone to talk to? I'm here. Just don't ask me for dating advice, Will'd probably end up hating you then."

"I don't know why anyone would ever ask you for dating advice," Nico said dryly, rolling his eyes. He managed to pull himself up to properly sit in the chair, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his desk, one hand coming up to cover his head. "I don't know. He's really nice and always so damn _happy_ and _smiling_. He wants to be a med student and _help_ people."

"That sounds like the opposite of a problem to me," Percy said, trying to make his voice as gentle and supportive as possible. "He sounds pretty great."

"He's perfect," Nico said, his face angled down but Percy could still see the goofy grin that wound up his face.

 _Oh god,_ Percy thought, momentarily stunned by this borderline besotted look on Nico's face, _he's gone._ Their little Nico had fallen utterly head over heels in love. The thought was at once terrifying and exciting; terrifying because what if this Will breaks Nico's heart? He'd been through so much already and, oh god, he looked so _happy_ , that could break him. On the other hand, what if he didn't and Nico got his happy ever after? Ignoring the part of his brain that told him he watched too many Disney movies, Percy thought this might be exactly the kind of relationship Nico needed.

He was so caught up in this train of thought and the polarizing feelings it gave him that he only caught the tail end of what Nico was saying;

"—I'm _weird."_

"What?" Percy said, half in confusion and half in indignant outrage. "Who called you weird? I'll fight 'em."

Nico looked torn between irritation and exasperation, "Well it's true—"

 _"I'll fight them._ "

" _I_ said it."

Percy paused. He couldn't fight Nico. That would be counterproductive.

"Who do I have travel back in time and fight to fix this?"

" _Percy."_

"Okay, okay. But seriously, Nico, if someone calls you weird, punch 'em right in the face. There's nothing wrong with you," Percy said fiercely, leaning forward. "No, shut up, let me talk. You're _great,_ got it? You're _funny_ and smart and protective and you care so much. I know what a great person you are and given half a chance Will will to. And if he doesn't then he's an idiot and you should punch him."

"I mean it," Percy said sternly as Nico started to open his mouth. "Don't think I won't hop on a plane and come all the way up there to slap some self-esteem into you because you know I will. I will crash on your stupid little dorm floor and sit behind you during class and eat all your blue m&ms, di Angelo don't test me."

"Your intestines are probably blue from all the damn dye you consume," Nico said, a flush over his cheeks. When Percy's eyes narrowed he held up in his hands in mild alarm, "Yeah, yeah I get it. I'm great, I'm awesome, you'll hand out 'Nico is great stickers' to everybody on campus yeah, yeah."

"I hadn't thought about that," Percy said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair. "You know, Thalia could probably make those. That's beside the point, though. Just . . . just don't get hurt okay? You're too good for this Will guy but if he makes you happy go for it."

"Yeah, yeah sure," Nico said, staring avidly down at his desk.

Percy didn't think it'd completely sunk into Nico's thick head but what could he do other than repeat it over and over until the stubborn little skeleton got it? And who knows, maybe Will Solace could get him to believe it.

"And tell him I'll break every bone in his body if he breaks your heart," Percy said serenely.

Nico groaned. "Honestly? Really?"

"Yes," Percy declared, crossing his arms, "and he won't even want to know what Thalia will do to him."

Nico huffed, looking away from the computer. He drummed his fingers on the edge of the keyboard, his too-long bangs covering the top of his dark eyes. They flickered towards the computer. "Thanks, Perce."

"Anytime little skeleton," Percy said fondly and Nico's face twisted in disgust. Percy grinned, blowing his disgruntled cousin a kiss.

"And the moment's gone, you ruined it," Nico snorted but he could pretend to be upset all he wanted, Percy knew he appreciated the return to normalcy.

"Hey!" Nico said suddenly, snapping calculating eyes to Percy. "What's this I hear about an Annabeth Chase?"

"Oh yeah, she's the park manager here," Percy said, taking his too soggy cereal and dumping it down the drain. Ah well, he ate like half of it. Maybe he'd make good his promise to buy Annabeth lunch today. "I thought you knew that?"

"Yeah, I knew _that_ ," Nico dismissed with a wave of his hand before leaning forward, his ashen face taking up the whole screen. "I heard she waited for you at the hospital."

"Yeah she did."

Nico waited, watching Percy expectantly. Percy scratched his nose.

"Not Grover but Annabeth." Pause. "Who barely knows you." Pause. "Who almost ran into the raptor paddock to save your sorry ass." Pause. "Put up with you when you were high as a kite." Pause.

"Is there a question somewhere in there and I'm just missing it or . . ?" Percy asked, uncertain.

Nico stared at him some more. "Sometimes I wonder how you got this far in life."

"You and me both buddy."

Nico snorted at that, rolling his eyes. "Don't do anything else stupid, got it? Or _I'll_ hand out 'Percy is An Idiot' stickers around Jurassic World."

"Pretty sure Thalia could make those too," Percy said thoughtfully. There was a little ding at the bottom of his screen and his eyes automatically flickered towards it. It was a new email, sender _Professional Boss Lady_ subject line _Are These Acceptable Alternatives for The Mosasaurus?_

Percy gasped out loud at the reminder, turning furious eyes back to the Skype call. " _Did you know they were feeding dinosaurs_ endangered _sharks?!"_

"Shit, Thalia warned me about this," Nico said, eyes widening in shock. His head whipped around, fingers twitching. "I mean, shit, I'm late for class. See ya later Perce, don't get eaten."

 _"Great whites,_ Nico, _great whites!"_ Percy shouted as the Skype called ended and Nico's face disappeared from the screen.

He sulked for a moment, mouth twisted in displeasure at his cousin's lack of sympathy before opening the email. He perused the suggestions and even though none of them were sharks, he ran them through his mental checklist of endangered sea animals because hey, all endangered animals were important. Not that he really thought Annabeth would let any endangered animals get through this time around. He sent off a new email approving her choices before getting to his feet, arching his back and stretching his hands up until his palms rested against the roof of his trailer and his back gave a satisfying crack.

"Alright," he said to himself. "Time to get the day started."

"Looks like it might rain," he called to Grover as he spotted his friend lurking by the paddock. Grover turned his eyes up to the dark, heavy clouds that hung overhead.

"Weatherman says a storm's moving in," Grover said, typing away on his smartphone. "Annabeth just sent me an email. She wants us done with the raptors by noon just in case the storm messes with the electronic fields or whatever. She also wants me, me not you because she knows you're a special brand of crazy—" Percy shrugged at that "—to know that all of Jurassic World's fences and sensors are able to operate even in a level five hurricane and not to worry. But that, due to safety measures, the fences and paddock doors all automatically go on firm lockdown when a storm starts to interfere with equipment and we go on backup power, so if we're in the paddock when that happens we are not getting out until the storm blows over."

Grover looked up, leveling Percy with a stern glare. "Which means you're not going in the paddock at all today."

"She said before _noon_ —"

"Do you want me to call Thalia?" Grover threatened and Percy, who still had their last screaming conversation and Nico's dire warning in mind, grimaced.

"No going in the paddock today, okay fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms and ignoring the smug look that settled over Grover's face. Percy stuck his tongue out at his friend's back when he turned around to make himself feel better.

They wrapped up with the girls before noon and Percy stared, forlorn, at the paddock as Grover dragged him to his car.

"Stop moping and come to the park," Grover demanded. "The rides are shutting down as a precaution in an hour so Travis should be free, although the others can still do their jobs."

"Travis will go annoy Connor," Percy pointed out, letting himself be ushered none too gracefully into Grover's car.

"Let's go bother Ethan then," Grover suggested.

Percy thought about it. "I have bothered him at the lab in a while," he said thoughtfully and Grover laughed, shaking his head as the car roared to life.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Ethan! Grover and Annabeth say I'm not allowed in the paddock today," Percy called as he threw open the door to Ethan's lab.

The couple little science lackeys that worked under Ethan gave him sternly disapproving looks; Percy ignored them as he swept into the lab and made a beeline for the back where Ethan's usual workstation was. Grover trailed calmly behind him, munching on one of those gross vegan enchiladas. Ethan stood in his usual spot, surrounded by three or four flashing computer monitors and a litany of petri dishes. He didn't look up at Percy's call, instead very calmly squeezing a drop of some dark green liquid out of one beaker and into another. As he swished the concoction around, his eye briefly flickered over to the approaching men.

"What a tragedy," he deadpanned as the beaker's contents starting changing color from green to an almost black. "To think we could've gotten rid of you."

"Not nice," Percy complained, commandeering Ethan's lab chair and wheeling it up to the scientist's station, straddling the chair backwards to curiously peek at the science happening. "That's not going to explode is it?"

"I'm a geneticist, not a chemist Perseus," he reminded Percy, sounding exhausted. "These are enzymes that we're testing to find out if the metabolic rates of proteins can be—"

He cut off sharply, frowning at Grover.

"No eating in the lab Grover, sorry," he said and Grover froze mid-chew.

"Oh," he said, face flushing. "Sorry. I'll just, ah, finish this outside then."

"See ya buddy!" Percy called, waving as Grover turned around and beat a slightly embarrassed exit. "Sorry about that Ethan."

"That's okay, Grover actually listens to me," Ethan murmured, leaning back over his beaker and jotting a few notes down. "How were the girls?"

"Great, although I think they could tell a storm was coming."

"Animals usually do," Ethan said, his lips barely moving. He set the beaker down, pulling an empty set towards them.

He lined them up due to some criteria that was far over Percy's head in a slow and meticulous fashion, his brow furrowed. It was his 'thinking face' or so Percy liked to call it. He waited for Ethan to mull over whatever he wanted to say, swinging one foot back and forth over the ridiculously well-polished floor. Seriously, that could be a slipping hazard. Someone was going to end up with metabolic proteins all over themselves one of these days (or something like that).

"What you said, that other week, about Global Orthyl," Ethan said carefully, not looking up. "Did you find out anything else?"

Percy stopped swinging his foot, momentarily thrown. "Oh ah . . . no? I—" Percy's brow furrowed. "I haven't been looking I guess. Got caught up with . . . things."

In truth, he'd all but forgotten about that. What with being concerned about his girls and Castellan's blessed absence, and Annabeth and his new relationship it just . . . didn't seem all that important in comparison.

Ethan nodded. "I don't think you should stop looking."

"What? Why?" Percy asked, looking up sharply. Ethan wasn't facing him, his back firmly turned on Percy as he moved beakers around.

"I just think, with what you've told me, that it would be good to continue looking," Ethan offered neutrally. "Maybe mention something to Annabeth."

"You never—Ethan do you—" Percy started to say when the lab door swung open a large man rushed in.

"Ethan, the baryonyx egg that hatched isn't metabolizing correctly and her vitals are shutting down—"

"Shit. Okay, thank you Prometheus, I'm on my way," Ethan said, stepping back from his station. He glanced at Percy as the large scientist, Prometheus, beckoned urgently.

"Just think about it," Ethan offered neutrally as he was swept from the room. He was gone a second later, leaving Percy with nothing but a bunch of vaguely green beakers and a head full of confusion.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" He wondered aloud.

The bary-whatever problem sounded like it would take a while so Percy didn't bother waiting around. Grover gave him a confused look as he emerged from the lab and Percy shrugged.

"Science problem I guess," he offered in way of an explanation as they left the lab.

"He is working," Grover conceded, finishing up the last of his enchilada. "What now?"

"I think I might pop up and see Annabeth," Percy said slowly. "Ethan suggested it would be a good idea to let her know about my suspicious about Global Orthyl."

"Ethan suggested it?" Grover repeated, his eyebrows rising. Percy gave an awkward little shrug, still not entirely sure what happened there.

"Yeah."

Grover paused, blinking. "Well. Okay then."

"Yeah I know," Percy said, shrugging again. "Besides, I told Annabeth I'd buy her lunch."

 _That_ got him a look. Grover stared at Percy, his eyes slightly too wide. "Oh, really?" He asked in his falsely innocent I'm-thinking-something-but-not-going-to-explain-it voice. Percy scowled.

"Yes, really, why? She bought me lunch, it's only fair that I buy her—"

"Wait, she bought you lunch last time?" Grover asked, holding an arm out to stop Percy from walking.

"Well yeah—" Percy said in confusion, staring down at the arm detaining him and then blinking at its owner. "Why are you acting all weird? I can make friends, I'm perfectly likable."

"Friends," Grover repeated slowly. "You're making a new . . . friend?"

"Yes, I'm making a new friend," Percy repeated in agitation, scowling now. "I can make friends! I'm good at making friends, people _like me_. Sometimes. Occasionally."

"Friend," Grover repeated, like a broken record, still staring blankly at Percy.

"I can make friends!"

"Friends," Grover repeated, shaking his head as he brought out his phone. "Friends. Yeah. Okay. I'd love to go with you Percy but frankly, I don't think I can my sanity can survive it. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go call Thalia."

"Wait, why are you calling Thalia?" Percy asked in confusion, still a little miffed and irritated at the friend comment. Alarm pushed the other emotions out of the way as the next few words tumbled out of his mouth. "I haven't done anything stupid today! I was good!"

"To ask her how she deals with it!" Came the ever confusing response.

"You're being mean today! I'm going to go have lunch with my new best friend!" Percy shouted after him, miffed. And confused. Probably a little more miffed than confused. Still plenty miffed. But yeah. Confused.

The administration building wasn't hard to find. Not only was it a glass building towering high above everything else but Annabeth did take him up there once, back during the great white shark incident. Percy stood outside the door brow furrowed as he stared at the entrance pad, waving his identification card around. This was nothing like the raptor paddock. In his paddock, he scanned his card then punched in a code. What did Annabeth do? Did he even have access to this building?

"Percy?"

Percy froze, his card hovering over the evil, blue blinking entrance pad. He half twisted around and found Annabeth herself standing behind him, her employee card out and ready, a cup of coffee in her other hand.

"Ah . . . hi?" Then, figuring nothing was going to save him from the embarrassment of getting caught, added as he idly waved his card around some more, "Do I have access to this building or am I just waving my card around like an idiot?"

"You're definitely waving your card around like an idiot," Annabeth said, her lips twitching. "But you do have access to it. Every employee does. It's just not a scanner, you have to swipe it. Here."

She stepped forward, juggling her armful of whatnots and whatevers as masterfully as always (it was like a superpower Percy swore, how could she do so much at once?). Her shoulder pressing against his back, she leaned over his shoulder, grabbing his hand and forcing him to swipe his card down the side of the pad. The thing beeped and the evil blue flashed to green and, presto, the door opened, but Percy was more hyper aware of how Annabeth's head was practically on his shoulder, her entire weight leaning against his back. He stared at her, only kind of able to see her face. Blonde hair tickled his face.

"Oh," Percy said, slightly breathless.

"Seaweed Brain," she said fondly, stepping away and heading into the building. Percy's back felt cold.

"You coming?" She asked, turning around with a frown when she realized he wasn't at her side.

"Ah, yeah, right," Percy said quickly, taking two great strides to reach her side. Then he frowned, running her last few words over in his head. "Seaweed Brain?"

"Thalia sent me a video last night," Annabeth said with a grin, perfect teeth gleaming at him. "Of when you were kids and the great Shark Whisperer leaned too far over the side of the boat and ended up face first in some seaweed."

"Oh god, she still has that?" Percy asked in horror, wrinkling his nose as they walked side by side to the neat little row of elevators at the end of the hall. "I thought I destroyed all the copies. To be fair, I was thirteen and the boat wasn't built up to code."

"And yet here we are, all these years later and you're _still_ a Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said breezily, punching the up button for the elevator as she took a sip of coffee.

"Why is everybody being mean to me today?" Percy complained, stepping inside the elevator after Annabeth.

The park manager smirked at him over the rim of her coffee, gray almost silver eyes shimmered up at him. Like stars, Percy thought, except that wasn't a good analogy, not for Annabeth. No, more like steel. Powerful, strong, enduring steel that stood tall and proud above all the dirt and the grim, able to weather every storm and emerge from the dust a proud victor.

 _"Percy_ ," steel eyes rolled and Percy blinked in surprise, trying to focus. Annabeth's mouth twisted wryly. "Do I have your attention now? I asked, what brought you to the heart today?"

"You," Percy blurted out. "I came to see you."

Annabeth looked surprised, her coffee cup pausing halfway to her lips as she stared at him. Blushing, Percy tried to make that sound less creepy or weird or whatever caused her to make that expression. "I mean, I owe you lunch? And I—I was in the park and we had lunch last time and you bought so I thought, I mean I really had fun and I enjoyed your company, I kinda sorta thought we were maybe starting to be friends and Grover—"

The elevator dinged, the glass doors sliding open. Percy knew his face was brighter than a tomato now and there were no exits in this tiny space to save himself from his humiliation. _Oh god just kill me now_ , he thought feverously, hoping someone would take pity on him. Maybe he could just punch a hole in the glass siding and fall away from this conversation.

"Oh good, I thought so too," Annabeth said, tongue in cheek. Percy blinked at her.

"Wait, what?"

"I said, good, because we _are_ , Seaweed Brain," Annabeth repeated dryly, bumping him with her hip as she reached out to stop the elevator doors from closing on them. Her fingers curled around the edge of the door, firmly keeping them over the sensors. "Now, do you mind stepping out so we don't hog the elevator?"

"Oh yeah sure," Percy babbled, promptly shutting his mouth before he embarrassed himself more and stepping out.

Annabeth followed behind, much more cool and collect and oh god Grover was right how did he ever make friends?

"Connor's out, Travis stole him," Annabeth said as she led the way passed the man in question's desk. "Which is fine since more than half of the park is shut down. As for your offer, I'd love to go out to lunch but I already ate."

She apologetically waved the coffee at him.

Percy tried to quell the wave of disappointment that rolled over him. He fidgeted in the doorway of her office as she walked inside, reaching out to turn her office chair around and put her tablet down in front of her computer.

"Oh. Ah, that's fine, some other time then?" He asked, wincing.

Annabeth set her coffee down on her desk, twisting around to frown at him. "No, you don't have to leave. There's a cafeteria here in the building or several good restaurants just around here. We can grab you something to eat and—"

"I don't want to interrupt your day," Percy said awkwardly.

"Perseus Jackson, you're not _interrupting_ my day—"

"I know you're really busy—"

"I can take a little time out for my friends," the blonde said exasperatedly. That shut Percy up for a minute, and in the time it took for him to gape, only slightly opened mouthed, at Annabeth, a great roll of thunder shook the building.

Percy and Annabeth turned as one towards the window as a brilliant flash of lightning zigzagged through the sky. There was a heartbeat of perfect stillness . . . and then it was pouring, a solid wall of tropical rain pelting the island below. It was practically opaque in its intensity and the pair blinked out the window before staring at each other.

"Well that settles it," Annabeth said smugly, smirking. "Looks like you're staying here then."

"That's not grounds for evacuating the park?" Percy asked, pointing out the window at the frankly incredible amount of rain pouring out of the sky and flooding the world below.

"It's a tropical storm, no need," Annabeth said with a shrug. "It'll pass in an hour or two. Guests were informed this morning of the oncoming storm, again at ten o'clock, then a third time before noon when all the electronic rides and dinosaurs exhibits were locked down, and again an hour ago as the radars tracked the storm. If they aren't inside by now, that's hardly our fault. Not liable."

She situated herself in her office chair, pulling her tablet towards her. "Now, do you want to run down to the cafeteria or . . . ?"

Just then, the lights flickered, dimming for a second then shinning almost painfully bright before winking out entirely.

"Give it a second, the generators will kick on," Annabeth said, not sounding the least bit concerned and sure enough, by the end of her sentence, the lights buzzed lowly and flicked back on.

She tapped away on her computer with one hand, the other flicking through her phone. "Everything's up and running, our generators are built to power the entire park for up to forty-eight hours, don't worry about it. The elevators shut down when we're on backup power though, just in case. Don't want any lawsuits because an elevator stopped with people inside. They stop and open up on the next available floor and all passengers will have to get out there before they power down."

"So, cafeteria?" Annabeth asked, peeking up at him.

Percy hummed noncommittally, twisting around to crane his neck towards the exit. Sure enough, the elevator lights were off, the ever present dinging silenced. Percy craned his neck some more and found the illuminated exit sign for the stairs.

"What floor are we on again?" Percy asked.

"Top, so the twelfth."

"And what floor is the cafeteria on?"

"The sixth."

Percy thought about it for all of half a second before taking three long strides into Annabeth's office and taking up residency in one of her ridiculously comfortable office chairs. "Not worth it, I'll wait."

Annabeth's lips twitched, "It's only six floors."

" _Only_ six floors. Yeah, not worth it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but it did nothing to disrupt the smile on her face. Percy cheekily grinned at her and she shook her head.

"Seaweed Brain," she muttered and Percy's grin widened.

"It's an insult, stop smiling," she instructed, deftly typing and not looking over at him.

"Sounds like a term of endearment to me," Percy cheekily returned.

"That's because you're a seaweed brain," she huffed but Percy kept grinning. She ignored him, continuing to type away on her computer.

Percy watched her, the silence swelling as he fought the urge to fidget. He succeeded for all of maybe five minutes. He twitched. His finger starting tapping against the side of the couch. Outside, it was still steadily pouring. Percy's eyes flickered from the window, at the never ending torrent there, to Annabeth, to the still slightly buzzing lights overhead. His foot began tapping, and it may or may not have been in tune with the _Jaws_ theme.

Annabeth's eye started to twitch. Percy watched it for a second, then realized that he probably was the cause for it.

"You know what I—" Percy started to say, catapulting himself to his feet at the same exact time Annabeth said:

"Why don't you—"

They both cut off sharply, blinking at each other.

"Why don't you," Annabeth repeated, slowly this time. "Take a look at this file for me?"

"What—? Oh sure," Percy said as Annabeth held a file out to him. "Yeah, I can do that."

He took the file and plopped himself back down in his seat when a sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh, I just remember—I mean, if I'm not interrupting your—"

"Just remembered what?" Annabeth said, waving him on. "It's fine."

"Just something Ethan said this morning," Percy said, opening up the file Annabeth gave him and trying to flatten in on his lap. "I don't really know how to . . . something Castellan said when he was here struck me as, ah, odd—" he tried to be evasive and objective, Annabeth _did_ like him after all, and no, go away dark little emotions he didn't need that distraction right now "—so I started looking into Global Orthyls just in case. I don't know, but I think I found some weird stuff? I mostly forgot about it because Grover wasn't concerned and maybe I was reading too much into it, but then, this morning, Ethan mentioned something about Global Orthyls not being on the up-and-up and told me not to stop looking into it. Which. Kind of weird? He's never really talked about it before. Maybe he found something I didn't? I don't know, he didn't have much time to talk to me about it."

Annabeth's brow furrowed as he talked and panic minutely rose in his chest. Did he upset her? Were her and Castellan better friends then Annabeth and Percy? Had he said something stupid?

"What," she asked slowly, each letter drawn out and careful as she turned to give him her full attention, gray eyes wary, "did he say that you found . . . odd."

Percy's face felt hot and he coughed, fidgeting. _You're just jealous,_ Grover's voice echoed in his mind but Percy viciously showed it aside. No, he thought there was something _weird_ about Castellan and it had nothing to do with anything else. Probably. Maybe not.

"The, ah, the way he looked at my girls," Percy recalled, Castellan's visit suddenly vivid in his mind. "It was just . . . off, I don't know. Not like fearful or scientific but like . . . I don't know. And the way he talked about them, only asking about their violence and aggression and . . . I guess those are kind of normal questions to ask though?"

"Not fearful or scientific but like what?" Annabeth pressed and Percy had the terrible feeling he was digging his own grave. He gave an awkward little shrug, twitching.

"Coveting, excited," Percy said bluntly. He'd gotten himself in this far, might as well go big or go home.

Annabeth didn't say anything and he peeked up at her, trying to keep his fidgeting to a minimum. Her fingers drummed against her desk in agitation and his heart leaped into his throat. _Don't hate me_ , he thought in panic, opening his mouth to apologize, brush it all away—

"I'll look into it," Annabeth said finally, "I . . . I think it'd be a good thing to look into."

"You do?" Percy blurted out in surprise, stunned.

"Yeah, yeah I do," Annabeth said lowly, turning away.

"Wait, does that mean you noticed it too?" Percy asked without thinking.

Annabeth scowled and he closed his mouth with a snap, wishing he could take the words back. Oh no, she looked upset now. He upset her. Stupid, stupid.

"I . . . I think it would be a good idea," Annabeth repeated, clearing her throat, which answered a round total of zero of Percy's questions.

He eyed her contemplatively as she tried to return to her typing. Something had to feel off if she thought it was a good idea. She had to notice something off about Castellan as well. The thought made him feel better, a smug sort of feeling settling low in his stomach. The feeling vanished though the longer he studied her face. She was upset, her jaw clenched, a little furrow between her eyes.

Castellan was her _friend._ He read her papers, which Percy had thought was a really schmoozy, stuck-up thing to do, but how many people read Annabeth's papers? How hard did she work at everything she did, receiving absolutely zero appreciate for all her hard work and then somebody came along who _noticed_ and . . .

Percy may have disliked Castellan before but the feeling that burned in his gut now was nothing short of hatred. How dare he? How _dare_ he do that to Annabeth? He opened his mouth, furious, not sure what he was going to say but he had to say _something_ to get that look off her face when—

"Annabeth Chase, Jurassic World park manager," Annabeth answered clinically, grabbing her phone before it even finished its first ring.

She paused, sitting back in her chair. "There's a _what?_ " A pause, then her eyes were going wide, face hardening as she jerked to her feet, grabbing her keys and was halfway to the door in a heartbeat, "Get the nearest ACU team out there ASAP, evacuate the area."

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, alarmed. He tossed the file carelessly aside, throwing himself forward and barely managing to keep up with the park manager as she all but sprinted towards the stairs.

"Unidentified dinosaur loose in the restricted area," Annabeth said, her face stony. "I want all eyes on the cameras, find it, figure out what it is. Everybody stays inside, all guards take out their lethals. I'm on my way."

"We're on our way," Percy corrected as they starting running down the stairs.

Annabeth glanced at him over her shoulder, and when she spoke, her words echoed around the dark stairwell, "Percy and I are on our way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sure Percy, you and Annabeth are friends. Just friends. Totally being all friendly and pals. 
> 
> Love all my beautiful readers <3


	19. Chapter 19

The rain no longer pounded the earth with nature's full, unbridled strength but it was still raining. Constant, albeit it reasonably soft, rain fell from the heavens to be quickly swept aside by the wiper blades of Annabeth's car as they tore down the muddy paths of Jurassic World. Percy was driving, sitting tall and stiff in the driver's seat, his dark green eyes flickering over to Annabeth from time to time but she had better things to worry about.

She tossed him the keys fifteen minutes ago so she could keep an eye on the cameras, sending reports and updates and keeping everybody calm and in line while they were en route. Her tablet balanced on her knees, the heat from the defroster wafting back and coupling with the overheated metal of her abused tablet, creating an uncomfortably warm park manager, but Annabeth still had better things to worry about.

"It's fallen out of all of our cameras," Annabeth muttered tersely. "Connor and Travis are pivoting the ones in the area the dinosaur was last seen in, but it's dark and raining. They might not catch it."

"What did they say it looked like again?"

"Small," Annabeth said, frowning as the camera feed on her tablet panned out as Connor's coding flashed across the top of her screen. "But definitely a predator."

"Which is why all the concern." The rain bounced off their windshield, creating a steady backdrop to Percy's low voice. "What small predators do we have?" Percy asked, baffled.

"Your girls are our smallest but the guard that spotted it said this creature barely reached his knees," Annabeth said, her gut churning with unease. "But just because we don't have any carnivores whose adult size is small doesn't mean anything; babies are small."

"An escaped hatchling?"

"That's a logical explanation," Annabeth murmured but the idea didn't sit right with her. She tried to talk through it, fingers hovering over her tablet, "Except one that big would have to be in the paddock nursery. They're electronically sealed, not to mention under constant surveillance both by cameras and live, present employees around the clock because of their fragile state. These animals cost, at the lowest, ten thousand a head. During their crucial development, we don't let them out of our sight."

"So they're not getting out on their own."

"Which would logically point to someone letting one out, but again that doesn't fit," Annabeth said, frowning. "I have the nursery counting heads right now, but that doesn't seem possible. Every paddock has at least two personal attending it at all times. All the nursery paddocks are in one condensed are—you must remember from when the girls were there."

Percy nodded and she continued, thinking quickly, "At any given time we have five to six different species in the nursery paddocks, so that means anywhere from ten to twelve employees in the area. Even if you had a partner, how could you sneak an animal out with eight to ten other nursery employees around?"

"Create a disturbance?" Percy suggested, but he sounded as doubtful as Annabeth felt.

"Sure, maybe. But that seems like a lot of dedication and hard work just for one hatchling," Annabeth said with a frown. "If it happened more than five hours ago, I'd know about it, it would have been reported during nightly head counts. Less than five hours ago also seems unlikely, because all the paddocks went on automatic lockdown at noon. We haven't had any missing infants in the last six months. Actually, we haven't had any missing infants that we didn't later recover ever, although a few have perished before we've found them. The point is, six months is the cut off for this size. It can take years for dinosaurs to reach their full adult size, but to remain this small? Unless they were a small species, they would have to be younger than six months."

"So probably not an escaped hatchling," Percy agreed. "Could someone take a newborn from the hatchery inside the genetic center?"

"Possible, however unlikely. Again, newborns are even more vulnerable than hatchlings. They're constantly monitored by an entire _team_ of scientists and trainers, like your girls were."

"A stolen egg?"

"Possible, but again unlikely. I feel like a broken record, but it's not like these are kittens. Each egg is designed from scratch and costs several thousand dollars if not more. They're constantly watched, monitored, and the scientists generally care. They love these eggs and the process and there's never just a handful of people working it's always an elaborate team. Time stamps, temperature readings, bihourly check-ups, a constant stream of vitals to over twenty different computers. It would be extremely difficult for someone to steal an egg, or even an embryo.

"Where'd it come from?" Annabeth said as reports dinged on her laptop.

All carnivorous hatchlings accounted for.

All hatchlings regardless of diet accounted for.

Full sized paddocks reporting correct head count.

"I don't understand," Annabeth said, letting the tablet hang listlessly in her fingers as she stared out at the rain-soaked windshield.

Reyna waved them down just south of the last area the dinosaur was seen. The guard was already soaked through, her navy uniform heavy and pitch black as she shined her flashlight into the car. There was a furrow in her hat, caved in from the weight of the rain, and water steadily streamed down the thin path, falling over the rim like an irritating little waterfall. Reyna's face was composed and artfully blank, disturbed only when her left eye twitched as a wayward drop of rain ran into it.

"Reyna," Annabeth greeted, valiantly not flinching as rain splashed over the interior of her window, dampening the armrest and the outermost part of her chair.

"Annabeth," Reyna greeted, "Clarisse and her team are waiting."

"Good, let's go," Annabeth said, tucking her tablet safely away and motioning for Percy to shut the car off.

Wishing she had a hat, Annabeth clenched her jaw and climbed out of the car. The rain flattened her hair almost immediately but Annabeth had far better things to worry about. She pushed it back as Reyna led the way over to the tree line. Darkly clothed personnel were suiting up around a large van just at the edge. Even under the darkened sky, Annabeth could see the flash of weapons being passed around, loaded and checked. Clarisse stepped out as soon as Annabeth walked up, grabbing the park manager borderline roughly by the arm and dragging her under the shelter of the van's pull out canopy.

"Non-lethals," Clarisse grunted, showing Annabeth the long range rifle at her side. "First line of defense, set for juveniles but not quite younglings. Will ramp up the dosage if the creature shows signs of resistance and—" she patted a smaller, sleeker, weapon on her side "—lethals just in case."

"Use non-lethals unless there's a direct threat to human life, then switch to lethals."

Clarisse grunted, heaving her leg up onto the back of the van to mess with her boot. "Gottit, but we won't need to. S'just a baby."

"A baby dinosaur," Annabeth reminded her, looking over her shoulder as Percy ducked under the canopy as well.

His eyes were scanning the tree line, slowly panning out like they did when he was watching the raptor paddock and a wave of immense relief washed over Annabeth and she was suddenly fiercely glad he was there. Feeling marginally more calm, she turned back to Clarisse.

"We don't know what it is, it's scared and lost," Annabeth said firmly. "Don't take any chances, Clarisse, this isn't your average lost infant. We don't know what it is, but it is a dinosaur and if it is, in fact, a carnivore, they're born with hunting skill and abilities that we don't even fully understand today. They can hurt you, even kill you. Be careful."

Clarisse grunted, rolling her eyes as she heaved the non-lethal rifle over her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah I got it."

"I mean it, Clarisse."

"I said I got it, be careful, always have someone watching the back, the sides, the front, don't wonder off, use night goggles, god you're worse than Chris," Clarisse grumbled.

"I'll tell him if you do anything stupid," Annabeth threatened. "And then I'll tell Silena."

Clarisse grimaced, looking appropriately horrified. "Alright, alright, calm down, we'll be careful."

"Thank you," Annabeth said, letting her shoulders relax.

Clarisse grumbled something unkind under her breath but Annabeth decided to ignore it, pushing her wet hair behind her ear as Clarisse stepped out of the relative dryness of the canopy. She made a series of hand gestures that had her team shouldering their rifles and heading out in groups of three or four.

"Reyna'll stay here with you," Clarisse called as three ACU members flanked her. "Stay _here_ by the cars and let us do our jobs got it? I don't want to send a team out to rescue your sorry asses if somebody decides to play dinosaur catcher. She's got both lethals and non-lethals so don't go worrying your pretty little heads about getting eaten."

"We'll be here Clarisse, just catch that dinosaur," Annabeth called, crossing her arms.

Next to her, Percy shifted, his shoulder brushing against hers. She looked up at him and he offered a slightly lopsided yet mildly encouraging smile. Fat droplets of water ran down the side of his face, his dark hair plastered to his face.

"Could really use that stupid hat of yours about now huh?" Annabeth asked wryly, turning back to watch Clarisse and her small team vanish into the bush.

Percy gave a low chuckle and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him reach a hand up to muss his hair. "It'd be helpful, although I don't know how dry it'd keep me. Look at poor Reyna."

They both cast their eyes over to the unamused guard, whose hat was all but caved in around her drenched face.

"I will shoot both of you," Reyna threatened with a straight face. It didn't exactly make them laugh, the atmosphere was too tense for that, but Annabeth's lips twitched as she leaned against the side of the ACU van.

"Shouldn't you be evacuating the park or warning the guests?" Percy asked as he leaned next to her.

He angled his body so he was staring down at her, his bulk a convenient shield against the wind and rain. He was so close their sides were practically glued together and Annabeth mused for a moment that maybe she should tell him to step back, or hell, move back herself. But then she'd have the rain to deal with again and really, the close companionship was nice.

"No, that would only cause panic and not only would the guests not listen to us so we could evacuate them orderly, it would utterly ruin Jurassic World—" Percy's eyebrows rose and she could practically feel the disappointment and judgment in the gesture. She rapped him firmly in the middle of his forehead. "Not that that would matter if their lives were really in _danger_. If I thought our guests' lives were in danger I would take immediate action, the park be damned, I'm not _heartless_. But be reasonable. You don't want anyone to panic when dinosaurs are involved, that causes more danger, and this here? There's a juvenile dinosaur in the restricted section of the park when all other park functions are closed down. The dinosaur's got no way of entering the park, the closest guest isn't for, what, maybe five miles, and we have a team out here right now to capture it."

Percy grinned, shaking his head, "I never thought you were _heartless_. I thought that there had to be more explanation than _'_ that might ruin Jurassic World _'_ because _that_ doesn't sound like Annabeth talking."

"Keeping the park alive is kind of my job," Annabeth said dryly, and perhaps a bit bitterly, "why shouldn't that sound like me?"

"Because for the last five months you've been trying to keep me out of the raptor cage and you threatened to shoot my girls the other night to save me," Percy replied without hesitation.

That gave Annabeth a pause, a warm sort of glow in her chest as Percy grinned down at her. There was a scar across his temple, thin and almost concealed by his hairline. _Did a shark get him up there?_ She wondered exasperated as, without thinking, she reached up to trace it.

"Stingray," Percy supplied to her unasked question, tilting his head so she could see the whole scar. His forehead pressed against hers, his warm breath ghosting across her cheeks.

"How on earth did you manage that?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow, fingers gently pushing into his hairline. "You're a disaster."

Percy's crooked grin filled her vision.

"How'd you even—"

"Did you hear that?" Reyna suddenly called and Annabeth turned in time to see the guard raise her gun, eyes trained on the trees.

Cursing herself for letting her guard down—and with an unidentified dinosaur on the loose too, dammit—Annabeth jerked upright, eyeing the direction of Reyna's gun. The rain and wind had the leaves shimmering and the grass flattened. How Reyna could have noticed _anything_ was beyond Annabeth but she trusted the guard's instincts.

"The bush," Percy murmured, his voice barely audible as Reyna's gun turned to level at one of the smaller bushes hidden beneath the trees.

The hairs on the back of Annabeth's neck rose, her instincts whispering _danger, danger,_ but before any of it truly processed the bush burst open—a flash of brown, teeth gleaming and claws scrapping—a gunshot.

"What the hell?" Percy gasped, a heartbeat after Reyna breathed, "Jesus."

Annabeth ignored both of them, her heart hammering from the sudden burst of action. Something small and perfectly camouflaged lay twitching in the wet grass, gurgling sickeningly.

"Reyna—"

"Non-lethal," Reyna immediately assured, finally lowering the gun.

None of them moved, tensely waiting. The creature twisted in the grass and Reyna's gun came back up.

"Wait," Annabeth said, moving her hand from where it was still twisted in Percy's hair to lower the guard's gun. The dinosaur gave a pathetic sound, piercing as it cut through the night. Annabeth looked back at Percy, whose waterlogged face was pale.

"Annabeth," he whispered, eyes wide. Annabeth looked away, focusing on the pathetic little dinosaur wiggling in the grass.

She took a step forward and immediately both Percy and Reyna were closing in on either side of her, making noises of protest as they tried to pull her back.

"It's an injured juvenile," Annabeth said loudly over the call of the rain, shaking both of her overprotective shadows off to take another step forward. "It needs help."

" _Annabeth_ ," Percy repeated, his voice low, the note of uncertainty and trepidation in that single word sending shivers down Annabeth's spine. "Annabeth that sounds like—"

"No," Annabeth interrupted, cutting him off before he could voice what they both were thinking.

She took one more step forward and lightning zigzagged across the sky, lightening up the darkness in a brilliant flash of white that cast the creature's features in absolute clarity. The dinosaur was laying on its side, no larger than three feet from the tip of its gaping mouth to the bottom of its slick tail. Its stomach swelled with great heaves as the stunned infant tried to battle the sedative, diaphragm expanding and contracting rapidly. Two hind legs kicked out erratically, sharp claws digging into the dirt. An elongated snout snorted, drawing attention to the small but sharp teeth under small reptilian eyes. Annabeth looked lower, at the end of two small forelimbs . . . where two perfectly curved sickle claws could be found.

"Oh my god," Reyna murmured, her voice breaking the timeless feeling that had settled in the air. "Is that—?"

"Get Ethan," Annabeth instructed, dropping to her knees. A strong arm grabbed her by the shoulder, catching her half in a crouch. She looked up into Percy's wide eyes.

"It won't hurt me, it'll be unconscious soon," Annabeth assured him, her voice perfectly calm and firm. Percy's eyes flickered uncertainly over her face, taking in the total, bone-deep calm that it held. This was Annabeth's job, her domain. She had this. But she needed the pair to listen now.

"Reyna, call Clarisse and get the team back here, then call Ethan and have the labs and vets standing by. Make sure to specify that we have a dangerous and injured unidentified juvenile carnivore. Go."

Reyna snapped to attention at once, her back straightening as she gave a curt nod and booked it back to the van.

"Percy, there should be duct tape and a thick, dark blanket in the back of the ACU van, get them."

"Annabeth, that's—"

" _Get them_ ," Annabeth repeated forcefully, looking up and narrowing her eyes at him. Percy stared down at her.

"Percy," she snapped and that broke the spell. He blinked then nodded, turning sharply to run to Clarisse's van.

Satisfied her instructions would be followed, she had complete faith in both Reyna and Percy, she turned back to the juvenile. Its struggle slowed as the tranquilizer dragged it towards unconsciousness. Black eyes flickered up to her, panic and primal rage burning brightly inside them. Annabeth swallowed but ignored the hateful glare to lean forward and search for the creature's injuries. The dinosaur was painfully thin; she could see every single one of its ribs as its diaphragm expanded. There was a large gash along its leg and the left arm was twisted at an awkward angle.

"Got it."

Annabeth flinched despite herself as Percy suddenly threw himself down beside her, armed with her supplies.

"Okay," Annabeth said, quickly recovering herself, "we need to tape its jaw shut and arms and legs together."

"Okay," Percy repeated, staring at the dinosaur. He pulled the duct tape, the sound of the adhesive tearing oddly loud and ominous.

"Here, give me—" Annabeth started to say, reaching for the piece of tape but Percy shrugged her off. He leaned forward, holding the piece of tape out and the dinosaur gave a weak croak.

Percy paused and Annabeth was about to reach for the tape again, better she gets bitten than him, when he gave a low trilling sound, not unlike the 'chittering' noise he made for his girls. The little creature tilted its head, eyes half lidded. Percy made the sound again, slowly reaching out to slip the tape beneath the dinosaur's gaping jaws. The dinosaur was oddly compliant as he wrapped the tape around its jaw, only making a pitiful noise in the back of its throat. Percy blinked, then, almost uncertainly, made the chittering noise again. The dinosaur's eyes closed.

"Give me the tape," Annabeth said, watching the dinosaur finally lose its fight with the tranquilizer and slip into unconsciousness.

Percy wordlessly handed the tape over and she made quick work of secure the juvenile's arms and legs.

"Blanket."

Percy passed the blanket over, holding her gaze as she took the rough material from his fingers. She gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile before leaning forward and wrapping the infant up tightly.

"Do you—?" Percy started to ask as she pulled the infant close, tucking one arm beneath its fragile head, the other curling around its hind legs.

"I got it," Annabeth said, making sure to support the tiny head as she pushed herself to her knees and then to her feet.

Percy hovered at her elbows, his hands skirting around her wet skin as he fretted.

"It's not that heavy," Annabeth said. "Can't weigh more than a toddler. Reyna!"

The rain had let up a little, a steady drizzle not unlike a mist gently carried in the breeze that clearly allowed Annabeth to watch the guard stride towards them. Reyna keenly eyed the dinosaur in Annabeth's arms before drifting to where Percy's hand rested on the curve of the manager's waist before returning to Annabeth's face.

"Clarisse and her team are on their way back, eta fifteen minutes. Ethan is prepping the lab, he wanted me to remind you to use caution and detain all limbs and the mouth, but I see you've already done that."

"I know the procedures," Annabeth muttered, although she never really thought she'd have to use them. "Fifteen minutes is too long, the juvenile is injured, we need to get it to the lab as soon as possible. Reyna, wait here for Clarisse and her team. Percy, open the back door of my car."

"Um, got it," Percy said quickly, fumbling as he fished the keys out of his soaking wet pants and stumbled through the mud towards the car.

Reyna helped Annabeth navigate the path, warily eyeing the unconscious dinosaur in her arms. In the backseat of her car, grimacing at the dark stains that smeared across her snow white seats, well that was never going to come out, Annabeth set the creature down.

"Should I stay back here with it or—?" Annabeth wondered out loud, making sure the blanket was securely wrapped around the juvenile.

"You should drive," Percy said firmly as she pulled back to blink at him. He pressed the keys into her hands and Annabeth just huffed a little, rolling her eyes the slightest bit as she curled her fingers around them.

"Seaweed Brain," she muttered, shaking her head. She wagged the keys in his face, "this is nothing compared to the shit you pull."

"Yeah, well, I'm an idiot," Percy huffed, the rain plastering his dark hair across his forehead. "You're supposed to be smarter than that."

"That dinosaur is going to wake up in twenty minutes," Reyna interrupted loudly, her mildly disapproving face suddenly appearing over Percy's shoulder. "You need to go."

"Right," Annabeth said, snapping back into action. "Percy, hop up front. Reyna, you have Clarisse—"

"I've got it," Reyna said succinctly, her face twitching minutely. "You need to go. Now."

"Going," Annabeth promised as Percy slid passed Reyna to climbed into the passenger seat.

Reyna crossed her arms and Annabeth could feel her gaze burning into the back of her head as she climbed into the car. The roads were deserted as they flew down the one that led back into the park. Annabeth grimaced at the mud that flung up, mourning the loss of the pristine condition of her car but not lighting up on her lead foot.

"At least the storm stopped," Percy said finally, breaking the silence. "And, for the first time in like six months, I'm cold."

Annabeth snorted a little at that, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He gave her a weak smile, obviously trying to break up the tense atmosphere.

"Seaweed Brain."

Ethan was outside waiting for them when they pulled into the lab parking lot. The dinosaur hadn't so much as twitched during the transportation and Percy twisted around, reaching his arm out to press two fingers against the creature's throat with a furrowed brow.

"It's still breathing," he announced as Ethan strode forward and jerked the back door open.

Ethan froze, one hand curled tightly around the door as he stared down at the dinosaur.

"It's injured," Annabeth said briskly, twisting the keys in the ignition and climbing out of the car to all but jog around to the scientist's side. Ethan gave a curt nod, licking his lips.

"We need to get it inside then, as quickly as possible," a smooth voice instructed and Annabeth looked over her shoulder as Prometheus strode towards them. "Ethan?"

"Right," Ethan murmured, his face paler than usual as he leaned inside, emerging a moment later with the creature in his arms.

Prometheus neatly stepped forward, pulling the blanket over the creature's head. "For the shock," he explained, "come on now, Ethan, we're dallying. Get it inside and into the prepped incubator before the shock kills it."

"Right, right," Ethan muttered, carefully cradling the creature's head in the crook of his elbow as he ducked his head, beelining for the lab.

Annabeth followed close on his heels, brushing passed Prometheus into the building.

Time passed in a blur.

The dinosaur was put in an incubator and then tests were run, blood drawn after a tense debate of how much could be safely taken, scans and probes and all sorts of electronic equipment being hooked up and taken away.

"Heartbeat is still too slow," Ethan muttered at her side, clipboard in hand as he scribbled something down, a furrow between his brows. "Slow and inconsistent, probably due to the strain from its diminished weight, struggling to pump blood."

"Are we feeding it intravenously?" Annabeth asked, eyeing the at least eight different tubes that stemmed out of the weak creature.

"Yes, and hydrating it," Ethan murmured, still not looking up. "The tranquilizer didn't help its heart." His eye flickered up to one of the many monitors that flashed above the incubator. "Blood pressure is high, that's not helping, and elevated hormone levels—"

Ethan cut himself off, reaching forward to adjust a dial on the left most monitor. For the first time since, Annabeth frown, well she wasn't exactly sure how long it'd been since they brought the infant in but for the first time since whenever that was, the room seemed oddly calm and still. Prometheus was mixing some concoction behind them, muttering to himself, an aid or two floating around. Annabeth stared down at the infant, whose entire body was alight from the artificial glow of the heat lamps above its head. Her throat was tight.

"Ethan . . . did the blood results come back yet."

"Some of them," Ethan said vaguely, setting the clipboard aside to pick a syringe up from the counter next to the incubator.

"What kind of dinosaur is it Ethan," Annabeth asked slowly, carefully.

Ethan took his time filling the syringe with some cloudy liquid from a tube, flicking the syringe a time or two to help the process. He disconnected the tube, carefully tying it up and cleaning up a drop that fell during the transfer. Finally, he looked up at her.

"We can't be sure," he neutrally began.

"Because it looks like a velociraptor," Annabeth said bluntly. "The moment Percy set his eyes on it he—" Annabeth shook her head. "And when we were trying to tape the mouth, he made raptor sounds at it, like he would at his girls. And that, that calmed it down. It relaxed and let him, the one who made the sounds, wrap something around its mouth."

"The blood tests came back with hormones levels that, while elevated, are consistent with a bipedal carnivore of at least three months," Ethan said, still speaking slowly as he carefully weighed the syringe in his hand. "The girls were twice, almost three times, this size when they were three months."

"I don't understand," Annabeth exclaimed in agitation, running a hand through her hair and beginning to pace. "I don't understand. It has the two sickle claws, just like the girls, and it _responded_ to Percy and—"

She spun around, a question about the girls' behavior on the tip of her tongue when she realized Percy wasn't there. In fact, she didn't think she'd seen him ever since she stepped out of the car.

"Where's Percy?" She asked, distracted, spinning around as if she would find him hiding in the corner of the room.

"We did not allow him into the lab," Prometheus said mildly, carrying a tray of various instruments over to the counter. "The fewer people the better in such a dire situation. We don't need anybody cluttering the space. Not to mention that this is a lab and trainers have no place here."

"In fact," Prometheus said slowly, turning around to raise an eyebrow at Ethan. "I do believe we've gotten complaints before about that particular raptor trainer and his ability to ah, _irritate_ personnel."

"Percy is very important to our understanding of raptor behavior," Ethan defended, his mouth barely moving.

"I am sure," Prometheus said smoothly as he took the syringe from Ethan's hand with a benign smile.

"He is," Annabeth said irritably, her hackles rising a little at his obvious dismissal of her raptor trainer but she forced the emotion back. There were more important things to worry about right now (although, she tucked the thought away to deal with later). "Ethan, what kind of dinosaur is this?"

"It . . . " Ethan said lowly, shaking his head before rubbing his temple. The man looked utterly exhausted, the almost yellow glow of the lights over their heads making every line and shadow in his face prominent and starkly visible. "Can we go sit down?"

"Why don't you go sit down Ethan," Prometheus said kindly, "I'll finish with Ms. Chase here."

Ethan's face convulsed the tiniest bit, a small tremor that rippled over his face. Annabeth didn't think she'd even be able to notice it if she hadn't gotten to know the younger scientist better in the last few months.

"I can wait until we answer all of Annabeth's questions," Ethan replied emotionlessly.

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked tiredly, eyeing the scientist.

She was exhausted herself, a sort of bone deep tiredness that had nothing to do with actual exhaustion but the confusion and anxiety of the day. She just wanted to sleep right now, and she had a feeling Ethan felt the same.

Ethan nodded, a careful tip of his head.

"I believe we should call Dr. Nakamura," Prometheus said, eyes flickering almost apologetically towards Ethan. "My apologies, the elder Dr. Nakamura."

Ethan's jaw twitched the slightest bit. Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder, her temper simmering.

"I have full confidence in Ethan," she said firmly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "He's our lead geneticist. If he feels like we should call his mother, then we can. But what I really want to know is _what_ that is and how it got out there and why nobody's seen it before."

"Of course Ms. Chase."

"Right," Annabeth said, letting go of Ethan with a sigh. "Goodnight gentlemen, Ethan call me with any changes."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Annabeth—" Connor called, looking frazzled and out of sorts when she strode from the elevator.

"Connor," she greeted wearily, striding right by his desk. She wasn't in the mood to stop today. "The dinosaur is contained and at the labs, Ethan's handling it. Still don't have an identification or an explanation as to why it was running amok in my park. Send me the reports of our generator use today, we'll have to run tune ups and checkups on all of them after such prolonged used, have—"

Connor scrambled to his feet, stumbling to her side and stammering as she tried to sneak by him into her office. She managed to evade him and throw open the door, only to come to a halt. A figure slumped dramatically in one of her office chairs, looking bored and irritated and completely soaked to the bone.

Thalia Grace glared up at Annabeth, her face one hundred percent _done_. Her dripping wet hair was barely contained in a ponytail, angry strands sticking out on all sides. Her eyeshadow ran a little, dark smudges around her eyes that morbidly trailed down her cheeks. Her leather jacket made a gross squishing sound as she shifted.

"Thalia."

"Well it took you long enough," her best friend grumbled, crossing her arms. "I need a key to my apartment, I don't know where mine is anymore."

Annabeth stared down at the daughter of Zeus.

"You're back," Annabeth said, rather nonsensically because of course she was, she was sitting right in front of Annabeth scowling at her like she was the idiot she felt like.

"No, I'm an apparition," Thalia snorted. "Of course, I'm back. My key now, if you don't mind."

"Oh, yeah of course—" Annabeth said, shaking her head as she stepped inside her office. She glanced over her shoulder at Connor, who helplessly shrugged like _I was trying to tell you!_

She closed the office door and took the three or so steps to her desk.

"Sorry, had a crazy day," Annabeth said, her brain coming back online. "God, I'm so glad you're back." Then, wincing slightly as she set her bag down on her desk and began rummaging around for Thalia's spare key, "But ah, is everything okay? I mean, I know you took time off to spend it with Jason—"

"I spent almost six months with Jason, I think if I spent even one more second I may have killed him," Thalia grumbled, the sick _squish_ sound telling Annabeth she'd stood up. "I mean, we needed the time and I'm glad to have had it but, you know—" Annabeth looked up in time to see her friend wave her hand "—Jason took a semester off school and he really needed to get back and you know how much I can't stand being _idle_. God, towards the end there I thought I'd jump out of a window if it meant doing something. You can only tour the Empire State Building so many times. Besides, with all the shit he's gotten into lately, I couldn't just leave Percy to his own stupidity.

"Guess I also kind of missed this stupid place and you're _oh so delightful_ company too," Thalia added breezily and Annabeth snorted, coming away from her desk with the promised key.

"I'm glad you're back," Annabeth admitted with a sheepish grin. "Silena's great, but she's definitely not you. It's good to know I've got you watching my back again."

Thalia grinned in reply, reaching out to swipe the keys from Annabeth. "Don't you know it. I'm back and ready to kick ass, baby."

Annabeth laughed, shaking her head. The headache from the last stressful hours faded enough to allow her to smile at her friend, an immense feeling of relief flooding her. It really was good to have her back.

"Whatever," Annabeth said good-naturally. "How'd you even get in with the storm?"

"Oh, Uncle P brought me," Thalia said, tossing the key from hand to hand.

"Uncle P?" Annabeth repeated with a frown, tossing the relation around until it clicked. "Percy's dad?"

Thalia scowled a little, her face working. "Yeah, him."

"Don't . . . I thought him and Percy didn't get along?" Annabeth asked slowly, her fingers twitching and unable to push away the concern that flared up at the thought.

Thalia watched her carefully, her face oddly unreadable. "And what did Percy tell you about that?" She asked evenly, but Annabeth could read the danger in that oddly calm tone, the steel undertone that Annabeth herself had never really been on the receiving end of before. It was Thalia's protective voice.

"Nothing, I just picked up on it," Annabeth said slowly. "He always talks about how great his mom is, and complains about you and his other cousins, but the only time I ever heard him mention his dad was when he ignored a call from him."

Thalia nodded. "Yeah," she said shortly. "Poseidon ain't exactly father of the year material."

"Is that why you came?"

Thalia shrugged. "I was comin' back one way or another, but when I, ahem, _found out_ Uncle P was coming I hitched a ride with him."

"All the more to keep an eye on him?"

Thalia made a face, head bobbing to the side. "Yeah, but don't tell Percy. I mean, he probably knows but still. Don't get me wrong, I mean, Poseidon loves Percy and I know deep down Percy loves the jackass back, which is the only reason I'm not down there right now. But yeah, just in case, I'm here to kick somebody's ass."

"Okay," Annabeth said nodding as she reached out to pick up her car keys. Thalia snatched them up before she could even lift them off the desk and Annabeth blinked in surprise, turning to frown at her friend.

"Where do you think you're going?" Thalia demanded.

"Does it matter?" Annabeth asked in confusion, a little irritated at Thalia's behavior. "Thalia, give those back."

"You're going to the raptor paddock," Thalia said, narrowing her eyes.

"I was thinking about it," Annabeth said irritably. "We had a loose animal earlier and Percy helped us capture it, but in all the confusion I lost him and the lab didn't let him in."

"Surely you can apologize in the morning." Thalia's eyes gleamed as she held the keys out of Annabeth's reach.

"I also wanted to talk to him about the animal," Annabeth said through clenched teeth, holding her hand out demandingly. _And make sure he's okay,_ silently followed in her mind but she didn't give it voice. "Give them back."

"Sure, sure," Thalia said, eyebrows rising. "And you don't think he'll mind you barging in at a quarter to one in the morning?"

"It's—" Annabeth said hotly only to cut herself off, freezing as she realized she had no idea what time it was. Pressing her lips together she tried to discreetly look down at the clock on her desk.

"Oh," she couldn't help but mutter as the bright twelve forty-five blinked up at her.

Thalia sighed loudly. "Oh god," her best friend nonsensically groaned. "It's worse than I thought."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked, thrown by the change as she scowled up at her friend.

"Nothing!" Thalia exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air and then tossing the car keys back to Annabeth, who caught them in surprise. "Nothing! I'm just surrounded by idiots! Goodnight Annabeth, wait until the morning to go bother Percy, you're likely to give him a heart attack if you show up now."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth called after her retreating back, but Thalia didn't bother replying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reyna: Get a room, please, for crying out loud!


	20. Chapter 20

"I'm sorry, Perseus is it?"

The large doctor looked vaguely familiar in the 'hey-I've-probably-seen-you-around-a-thousand-times-before-but-never-stopped-to-chat' sort of way. Percy thought he might work in the same lab as Ethan but at this point he was just a large, geneticist-sized wall between Percy and Annabeth's retreating back.

"Yes, excuse me," Percy said pointedly, trying to duck under his arm.

"Aha, well," the scientist said smoothly, stepping into Percy's path and effectively blocking his way. "I'm sorry Perseus, but you're not allowed back here right now."

"What?" Percy asked, brow furrowed. "Listen, I'm with Annabeth, go ahead and ask her, we—"

"I'm sure," the scientist said smoothly. "But you see, we have an unidentified and potentially dangerous carnivore to analyze. The labs are small enough as it is and the geneticists and veterinarians that will need to tend to and keep the poor infant stabilized will have a hard enough time in the limited space without adding unneeded bodies."

"Oh," Percy said, faltering. "Well, I don't need to be in the lab, just with Annabe—"

"And Ms. Chase is very busy right now," the scientist said kindly, staring down at Percy with wide, disgustingly pitying eyes. "I'm sure your company is _very_ enlightening but Ms. Chase has a lot to deal with at this time. I'm sure she'll get back with you as soon as she's able. Drive safe."

"What? No, I just need to speak—" Percy demanded, offended, but the scientist merely smiled condescendingly down at him before firmly shutting the laboratory doors in his face.

"Hey, I wasn't finished!" Percy objected, raising his fist to pound on the door.

He paused, his hand hovering uncertainly in the air. The lab doors were glass and he could see the stupid, smug scientist walking away without so much as a backwards glance at Percy. _What a jerk, P_ ercy thought crossly. He wouldn't _get in the way_ of anything and Annabeth wanted him around! Percy knew she did. She invited him into her office, asked him to do things, wanting him there with the dinosaur . . .

Above his head, thunder rolled.

She would be real busy, Percy conceded dully, letting his hand drop. He would probably just distract her. Besides physically helping with the dinosaur, it wasn't like Percy could do much good. He wasn't a scientist or a paleontologist or hell, even someone like Connor who could get Annabeth the forms and whatnots she needed. _It was probably for the best,_ he thought with a sigh.

Rain began to fall again, little droplets that rolled down the side of his face and off his fingertips. Percy tilted his head up into the rain, letting the water run down his face.

His car was parked where he left it, right next to Ethan's only one parking lot over. _Right back where you started off this morning,_ he thought wryly, even though it felt like way more than twelve hours since he slid inside the lab with the intent to annoy Ethan. The drive back to the paddock was dark. The park was closed down tight thanks to the loose dinosaur and the storm; he didn't see a single soul on his way to the restricted section. As his car idled forward, one hand reaching into his probably ruined jeans to fish out his credentials, the guard at the checkpoint pulled him to complete halt.

"They caught the dinosaur," Percy said dully, leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingers restlessly against the steering wheel.

Beneath the dash, his leg bounced impatiently, the anxiety and adrenaline of the day catching up with him. He didn't want to go back to his trailer. He wanted to be at the lab, with Annabeth and Ethan, or out with Reyna and Clarisse, or . . . or in the paddock with his girls.

"I was there when they caught it, just call Reyna," Percy said through clenched teeth as the guard hemmed and hawed, uncertainly chewing on their lip while eyeing him warily.

"Wait here," they said suspiciously, disappearing into the back of the building.

Percy banged his head against the steering wheel, grumbling under his breath. He was slumped over the wheel, one hand batting the rear view mirror around like a bored cat with yarn and the other tapping out a very inaccurate Morse code cry for help on the dash when the guard returned. He looked up, face half squished and one eye open.

"Can I go now?" He tried not to whine but mostly failed.

"Reyna says it's okay," the guard said, still not looking entirely sure but they dutifully reached over and typed in the code to open the gate.

"Finally," Percy grumbled, straightening himself out and trying to rub the steering wheel marks from his cheek as he started his car.

And because he was a _mature_ adult, he didn't stick his tongue out at the guard as he shifted into drive and finally pulled forward into the restricted section. _It's not like I've been here for almost six months or anything,_ Percy thought bitingly as he drove away. What a crappy way to end the day.

The paddock was dark and silent when he pulled up. Not that it should be otherwise, but Percy's heart already felt heavy pulling in and the sight made it sink somewhere painful and distant. He drummed his fingers on the edge of the steering wheel, lips pursed. He should go back to the trailer, get some sleep. Annabeth might want him in the morning. His legs twitched, bouncing up and down and banging all around the car with their pent up energy. He didn't want to go to bed, his body was too wired, too excited, too _restless._

"When does the regular power come back on?" Percy wondered to himself, eyeing the paddock.

He opened the car door, stepping out onto the gravel. The crunch and roll of the little stones under his feet felt damning, like whispers of dark promises and ill tidings in the night. Ugh, he really _did_ watch too much television. Percy shook his head, shutting the door softly least his overactive imagination make something weird out of _that_ next. He started walking, letting his feet carry him closer and closer until he stood outside the paddock gates. He was being stupid; he _knew_ he was being stupid. Thalia would kill him, but he probably didn't even have to worry about her anymore because Annabeth would kill him first.

"Hey girls," Percy called lowly, opening the first set of gates. The beeping sounded lowly in the air, the little flash of green blinking against his hand. Looks like they were back on main power then.

He stepped inside, eyes scanning the bushes and trees. The post-storm breeze ruffled the leaves, a light _swish_ that filled the otherwise silent air. A branch had fallen in the storm, the end splintered and torn as the once proud limb laid limply on the ground. Percy's eyes panned out, waiting. Behind him, the first set of doors slid shut. His eyes fell on the large spruce fifteen yards from the gate, at the little glimmer that was barely visible in the starless night. Percy smiled.

"Hiya Juno."

The raptor didn't reply but the bush shimmered and Percy's grin widened. His sharp eyes watched the perfectly camouflaged predator as her even sharper ones undoubtedly watched him. Percy reached forward, a hand on the second keypad when the shadow he was so intensely focused on suddenly disappeared. Percy started forward, heart like lead, but the dread never managed to fully take hold because a heartbeat later he saw the light.

Percy frowned at the growing beam of light that spread across the grass, more than a bit irritated at the interruption. He tilted his head to the side, pivoting on his heel to glare at the car that careened into view. The car zipped into the paddock parking lot, utterly oblivious to the raptor trainer's ire, the sound of gravel flying reaching Percy even from his place inside the first gate.

Percy's brow furrowed as he watched the car come to a halt, perplexed. It probably wasn't Grover, or Annabeth or Ethan, the latter two being preoccupied with the baby dinosaur. A thrill of abject terror shot through Percy—it couldn't possibly be _Thalia,_ could it? No, she couldn't _be_ there at the exact moment he was about to do something reckless and stupid . . . could she? The car door opened and a very un-Thalia-like shape stepped out.

Relief flooded Percy so heavily he slumped forward, hand over his heart. Whoo, well that was better for his blood pressure.

Maybe.

Percy squinted suspiciously through the gloom as the strange figure, who stared back but was too far away for the raptor trainer to make out any distinguishing features. Still, they looked vaguely familiar, tall and probably male. The guy started walking towards the paddock. Percy just kind of watched him draw closer until the stranger's outline became clearer.

_Oh no,_ Percy thought in shock, frozen in disbelief, it wasn't—

"Perseus," Poseidon Olympian called, his voice deep and disapproving. "What the hell are you doing inside the paddock?"

"Not inside," Percy automatically replied, blinking dumbly as his father came into view. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Poseidon stepped up next to the outer paddock gate, his face now fully visible to his son inside. Percy was the spitting image of the man on the other side of the fence; Poseidon stood a mere half an inch taller than his son, but the dark hair that graced his tan face and the deep green eyes set inside were mirror images of the young man across from him. The main difference could be found in the beard that graced Poseidon's face, dark as his hair and well-trimmed, and the lines around the elder's eyes and mouth, caused by a lifetime of frowns and falsely pleasant smiles.

Percy wasn't impressed, crossing his arms to level his own scowl at the man.

"I came to see my son," was Poseidon's exasperate reply, his voice weary as he heaved a great sigh, as though _Percy_ were the more unreasonable of the pair. "Unless that's a crime now. Get out of the cage Perseus."

A childish 'make me' hung on Percy's tongue but he valiantly bit it back, unwilling to revert to the toddler mentality that tended to emerge at Poseidon's presence. Instead, he huffed and scowled harder, pointedly not leaving the cage.

"Most people _call_ before they spring up on their kids, especially if they, you know, _appear out of nowhere in the middle of the night_."

"You haven't been answering my calls," Poseidon shortly replied with distaste, scowling in return as he nervously eyed the paddock. "Perseus, for the love of God, could you please just get out of the cage?"

There was a note of desperation in that statement that made Percy purse his lips. Poseidon eyed the cage angrily, like he was thinking about trying to pry the thing open with his bare hands or something. Percy exhaled loudly, letting his displeasure be known, but he reached forward and keyed in the code to open the first gate.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah keep your shirt on, I'm coming out."

" _Thank_ you," Poseidon said, his shoulder visibly relaxing.

He waited silently while the doors open, the light flashing across his face before Percy slipped out. Poseidon gave a relieved sigh.

"Thank you," he repeated, then frowned, the disapproving look back. "You don't still go inside do you?"

"Not as often," Percy said, knowing he was being purposefully difficult and evasive but felt petty enough not to care at the moment.

Poseidon scowled, then sighed heavily once more, rubbing his temple and looking exhausted. Percy felt a stab of sympathy, immediately wanting to reassure his father like the eager little child that just found out his father was alive and wanted to see him. But he viciously shoved the emotion away, remembering the same eager little child's disappointment when his father left time and time again.

Poseidon appeared in the first few pictures in the Jackson family photo album. In Percy's very first baby picture, the boy himself all swaddled up in blue and red-faced in his mother's exhausted arms, Poseidon could be found leaning over the hospital bed, his face filled with wonder. He disappeared around the page dedicated to Percy's first walking escapade. For years, those few meager pictures were all Percy knew about his father, a couple of half faded and overly glossy pictures that his mom kept tucked away under her bed and a few vague promises that his father did in fact love him. She never offered any explanation for Poseidon's absence, only a small, sad smile and distant eyes fixed on something he could never see. Sand dollars liked to find their way to the Jacksons' apartment and without being told, Percy always knew who they were from.

Then, of course, the man himself showed up almost eleven years later. Just like that, out of the blue, with no more explanation than a smile.

The only good thing that came of Poseidon's Houdini act, Percy fiercely thought, was that it came with the introduction of Thalia and Nico, without whom he knew he wouldn't have gotten far.

"I just worry so much about you," Poseidon muttered under his breath, drawing Percy back from his musings.

"Would be the first time," Percy shot back.

"Perseus, please not this again—"

"Oh I'm sorry, maybe I'm remembering the last twenty-five years wrong—"

"You _know_ how much I care, Perseus, don't pretend otherwise—"

"Sure, sure, cared enough to call every other birthday and conveniently forget to tell your family about me until I was twelve—"

"Perseus _stop,_ " Poseidon said, looking pained. "Can we just . . . just not tonight? Please. I heard about the accident and I needed to make sure you were alright."

"In one piece," Percy grumbled, holding his fingers up and wiggling them.

"Let me see your arm," Poseidon asked, his voice oddly gentle as he held his hand out.

Percy thought about resisting but apparently that was futile because he was already holding his arm out for his father's inspection. Poseidon may have been no more than a passing figure in Percy's childhood, but some distant part of Percy's brain was still eager to please and be around his father, no matter how hard he tried to squash it.

"That's not too bad," Poseidon muttered, running a careful finger over the row of stitches. "Nothing like the tiger shark."

"Nowhere near as bad," Percy agreed, letting his arm fall to his side when Poseidon released it.

"I hated getting that phone call," Poseidon grumbled under his breath, fingers twitching like he was thinking about reaching out and taking Percy's arm back.

Percy stuck his hands in his pockets, just in case. "Which one? The one where 'hey your son's lost more than half his blood' or that 'hey, now he's gotten torn open by a velociraptor'?"

Poseidon scowled, "Sometimes I think you pull stunts like this to test my blood pressure."

Percy threw his hands into the air, "Why does everybody think I _plan_ for stuff like this to happen? I don't wake up in the morning and set out to get injured."

Poseidon huffed, like Percy was still being unreasonable or something. "Of course not."

There was a pause then.

Poseidon stared over Percy's shoulder at the silent paddock behind them. Percy shifted awkwardly on his feet. Poseidon didn't seem to notice the steadily increasing awkward atmosphere, still staring intensely at the paddock. Percy blew out a silent sigh and took the time to study his father's face. There were more lines on Poseidon's face now, around his eyes and lips and an almost permanent furrow in his brow. He looked utterly exhausted. For as long as Percy could remember, though, Poseidon always rather looked tired.

"Dad, it's like midnight, what are you really doing here?" Percy finally asked, his voice soft in the darkness.

"Making sure you were _safe_ ," Poseidon repeated wearily, tilting his head just enough to look at Percy again. "I told you not to take the job, Percy. I know I haven't been the most . . . attentive father but you're my _son_ and . . . Your mother and I just need you to be safe. Couldn't you have just listened to me, just the one time?"

Percy crossed his arms, valiantly resisting his father's open, exhausted face and refusing to feel guilty. "I looked into it and I thought it was reasonably safe. Probably safer than my old job."

"I told you that was a bad idea too," Poseidon grumbled.

Percy ignored that. "Well, obviously you can see that I'm fine and in one piece so—"

"You were going to go into the paddock."

Percy groaned, running a hand over his face. "No, I wasn't—"

"Perseus, I _saw_ you, what if I hadn't pulled up?"

Percy made a face, tilting his head to the side as he thought about it. "I _probably_ wouldn't have gone in. Thalia gets live videos of the paddock and Annabeth'd kill me. I was just," he shrugged here, rocking back and forth on his heels, "lonely and I wanted to see them."

Poseidon looked pained. "Next time call someone if you're feeling lonely."

"Yeah whatever, like any human's company is preferable to my girls," Percy scoffed. Then, looking over his shoulder at the paddock and aiming for a casual voice, asked, "Did you really come all the way down here to make sure I was okay?"

"Yes Percy, of course," Poseidon said.

Percy nodded, still fixedly looking over his shoulder.

"Had to pick up your cousin on my way, though."

Percy paused, frowning.

"Wait, which one?" He demanded, whipping around. Poseidon raised his eyebrow at the stupid question and Percy winced. "Aw, Thalia? She's here, on the island? Oh god, I'm in so much trouble. Shit. Wonder if she's seen the cameras yet."

Poseidon didn't look very sympathetic. "Probably and if not, then she'll find out one way or another."

"Is that a threat?"

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Go to bed Perseus, it's late."

"Go to bed Perseus," Percy repeated, sputtering. "Excuse you, I'm twenty-five, not five—"

"Would hardly know it sometimes."

"Rude," Percy complained, crossing his arms and that got a smile out of Poseidon. Percy pretended like he didn't care, keeping his sulking face on and pointedly not smiling back.

"Your uncle so kindly let me rent an apartment for the week," Poseidon said fondly. "I'll leave now and let you get some sleep."

"And you'll be back tomorrow?" Percy slowly guessed.

Poseidon's face convulsed a little, "Yes . . . if . . . if that's okay."

_That looked painful to say,_ Percy thought, watching as Poseidon tried to keep a straight face, like it wasn't killing him inside to let Percy chose whether or not he wanted Poseidon around.

"Yeah, okay," Percy relented, not quite heartless enough to say no.

Poseidon's face visibly relaxed, shoulders falling as he smiled. "Good then. I'll see you tomorrow . . . or should I say later on today?"

"Whatever, go to bed," Percy said with a wave of his hand.

"Good night Perseus," Poseidon said softly. He stared at Percy for a heartbeat longer before turning around and slowly, ever so slowly, making his way back to his car.

His slow, measured steps eventually brought him next to the dark car park beside Percy's. He put one hand on the handle and then looked back over at Percy. Not sure what else to do, Percy gave an awkward little wave. Poseidon still didn't move.

"Alright, alright, you've made your point get going," Percy grumbled under his breath, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Poseidon still didn't leave.

"Oh for heaven's— _what do you want?"_ Percy shouted.

"To make sure you're not going back in the paddock!" Poseidon shouted back.

Percy threw his hands up in the air. "Unbelievable," he said to himself. "Unbelievable— _fine! Fine_ , see this? This is me going back to the trailer, are you happy now?"

He shouted the last part as he backpedaled, turning sharply on his heel and stalking towards the trailer.

"Stupid meddling fathers," he grumbled under his breath as Poseidon shouted something indistinguishable at his back.

Percy kicked at the dirt, glaring over his shoulder. Poseidon had climbed into the car now, the headlights shone brightly across the grass and highlighted Percy's way. They flashed at Percy, as if bidding him to hurry up.

"Oh my god," Percy said in disbelief, shaking his head.

A few more feet and he was at his trailer door. Pointedly not looking behind him, Percy stepped inside, slammed the door shut with more force than strictly necessary. Even though the gesture was lost on his father, Percy glared out the tiny trailer window. Perhaps the tattered remains of Poseidon's parental instincts would inform him of Percy's displeased gesture. Percy liked to think he got the message. With the door shut, Poseidon's car finally backed out of the driveway. Percy watched as the taillights were swallowed up by the darkness, head pressed against the cold window.

"Ugh," Percy bemoaned, peeling himself away from the window. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, ready to throw himself on the bed and curl up to sleep for the rest of forever when he realized there was a message flashing across the screen.

It was from Thalia:

_Need me to come down?_

Percy ran his thumb over the screen for a moment, thinking, before a new message flickered across the screen:

_Nvm, be there in 10._

Percy huffed a little, but a smile curved up his face. He sighed, running a hand over his face as he looked around the trailer. He should probably clean up a little before she got there, he mused. _One less thing for her to yell at me about_ , he thought wearily as he leaned down to pick up a discarded part of pants laying on the floor. He was half-heartedly trying to shove his spare pair of shoes under his bed when his trailer door slammed open. Percy wasn't proud to admit he jumped, dropping the shoes in surprise as he twisted around.

Thalia stood in the doorway, hair half wet and pulled back in a sloppy up-do, wearing her usual leather jacket and dark pants, a scowl firmly in place on her face. Her makeup was ruined, dark smudges all over her face.

"Hey Thals," he said tiredly.

"Shut up," Thalia said immediately, kicking the door shut behind her as she waltzed inside. Her face was twisted, angry, worried and tired. She threw her arms out and Percy didn't hesitate to cross the trailer and let her try to break his spine.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The moment Percy woke up, he knew he overslept. He grumbled a little to himself, burrowing his face into his nice cool pillow, pretending like the world didn't exist and he didn't have responsibilities for one more minute. He didn't quite get that. A sharp knock on the door had him moaning and rolling over a second later.

"Somebody better be dead," a rough voice snarled as Percy rolled over. He paused, frowning in confusion, face half squished against his pillow, before the voice clicked: Thalia.

"Why are you still here?" Percy whined, flopping across his bed.

"Because I wanted to sleep on your shitty little trailer couch, it was on my bucket list," came the snide reply, followed a second later by another sharp knock on the door. "For god's sake answer the damn door!"

Percy groaned but dragged himself to his feet. "Why are you always so mean, it should be illegal to be so mean to someone who just woke up—"

"Oh thank god," Grover said, pushing the door open before Percy even reached it.

Percy blinked bleary eyed as his anxious best friend barged inside.

"Hey G-man," he said in only mild confusion.

"I heard there was a dinosaur on the loose last night and that you were there, and that they don't know what it is, but it _responded_ to you and then Thalia was here and I heard _Poseidon_ was _—_ " Grover's eyes bulged out he gasped for breath, grabbing his friend roughly by the shoulder, "oh my god, are you alright?"

"Wow, a lot did go down since I saw you last," Percy said, blinking.

"Cause you suck," Thalia threw in, quite unnecessarily.

"I left you for _twelve hours_ ," Grover moaned, briefly letting his head fall on Percy's shoulder before it snapped up again. "Oh, the trouble you get into! But are you _okay?"_

Percy thought for a moment. "I think so," he said slowly. "I mean, kinda freaky last night but Annabeth's on that so. And yeah Dad showed up out of the blue, but I guess that wasn't too terrible. I mean, not great, but not terrible. It didn't end in screaming or slamming of doors so there's that. No wait, I did slam the door. But it wasn't on his face, so, still a win."

"Good," Grover said, letting his hands drop from Percy's shoulders. "Do you need me to do anything?"

Percy cracked a smile. "Naw," he said, good naturally punching Grover on the shoulder. "But thanks, man."

They shared a comradery smile before Grover frowned. "Wait, did I hear Thalia?"

"Yes," the lump on Percy's couch grumbled. "And if you two idiots don't keep it down I'll kill you."

Grover's eyes widened, forking his thumb to the couch in confusion. Percy gave a little shrug.

"All the better to keep an eye on me I think," he whispered back.

Grover nodded slightly. "Oh good," he said, sounding relieved, hand held over his heart, "it always cuts my anxiety in half when Thalia's watching you."

"Hey!" Percy objected.

"For god's sake, you two aren't going to shut up are you?" Thalia snarled, turning over to glare at them. "Fine!" She threw the blanket she'd been hiding under off (Percy frowned suspiciously at it as it crumbled to the floor . . . he hadn't even known he _owed_ that _)._ "You sure as hell better have coffee or there'll be murder."

"I have coffee," Percy said quickly, panicked as he raced to put a pot on.

Grover pillaged through Percy's fridge, complaining loudly about the lack of nutrient-rich foods and the abundance of sugary, empty calories as Thalia dragged herself off to shower. Percy let Grover threaten to restock the fridge with fruit and vegetables as he munched on his Lucky Charms, Grover unhappily picking the marshmallows out of his own.

"It's like you hate happiness," Percy scoffed, trying to steal the marshmallows, only to have his hand slapped.

"Alright assholes, move over," Thalia grunted, emerging from the shower to shove Percy out of the way as she squeezed in at his not-quite-able-to-comfortably-fit-three-people table. Her hair was dripping wet, creating a little puddle on the floor he just _knew_ she wasn't going to clean up. He scowled, poking her suspiciously in the shoulder.

"Are those yesterday's clothes?"

"Shut up Percy, what do you want me to do, steal yours?"

"Like it'd be the first time you did it. You _still_ haven't returned my Caption America sweatshirt–"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Thalia said breezily, "hey is that Lucky Charms, pass that."

"You two," Grover sighed, sounding pained as Thalia reached across the table to snag the box of Lucky Charms. She frowned as she eyed the pile of discarded marshmallows at Grover's side.

"You gonna eat those?"

"I'll fight you," Percy threatened.

"Bring it, I'll kick your ass."

Breakfast passed in this matter but they all emerged relatively unscathed a half hour later (except Percy's table where Thalia stabbed her fork into when Percy tried to steal some of her marshmallows but he was pretty sure it was unnoticeable).

"You sure you're okay?" Grover asked as they left the trailer, Thalia shrugging on her leather jacket even though it had to be like a hundred degrees out. The price of being edgy, Percy guessed.

Percy shoved his hands into his pocket, shrugging as he tried to casually respond. "Yeah, I guess. He said he's coming back later today."

Percy lifted his face up towards the sun, pretending not to notice Grover and Thalia's scrutiny. Like he was totally cool with his absentee dad showing up out of the blue and not one bad memory away from reverting back to his twelve-year-old self, standing in front of the Olympians for the first time. He firmly shook the memory away, violently shoving it back into the dark reaches of his mind where it belonged. Ugh.

"Well, you've got me right here," Grover said, nudging Percy with his hip.

There was a sarcastic retort on the tip of Percy's tongue, born of self-defense and years of internalizing this kind of shit, but one look at Grover's obviously concerned face had him sighing instead.

"I know G-man, thanks."

"And I don't really need an excuse to kick his ass, just say the word and _bam_ ," Thalia said, slapping her hands loudly together for emphasis. Grover jumped at the sharp noise, blushing a second later as both Thalia and Percy laughed.

"I'll let you know if I want to take you up on that," Percy said, grinning crookedly at his cousin. "Thanks," he added, bumping her shoulder with his, his heart swelling a little.

He really _was_ glad she was back. He'd taken the world on by himself for the first twelve years of his life–okay that was a lie, because his mom had been there and nobody was better than his mom, but there were some things she just couldn't _get_ that Thalia could. Anyway, it was nice, sometimes, to remember he wasn't alone anymore, and Thalia's, albeit it unnecessarily violent and pushy, support made his insides mushy and warm in a way he'd never, ever admit out loud. She probably knew anyway, the jerk.

As if sensing his thoughts, Thalia grinned. Then punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Thalia!" Percy complained, holding his arm and wedging a startled Grover between the pair because she was far less likely to physically assault him.

"Gotta run back into the park and make sure Annabeth actually slept," Thalia announced, turning on her heels. "Call me when Poseidon shows back up and I'll kick his ass for you. See you losers later!"

"Bye Thalia!" Grover called, grinning.

"You're so mean!" Percy whined over Grover's shoulder.

The pair headed onto the raptor paddock in Thalia's wake, Percy grumbling under his breath and Grover grinning. Unlike last night, all four girls were plainly visible when the paddock came into view. Juno tilted her head to the side as they approached, watching Percy with careful, dark eyes. She prowled right up to the edge of the paddock, squawking a little as she paced. Behind her, Diane growled low in her throat, scratching at the ground. Not so little anymore Ceres gave an unhappy shriek, snorting and shaking her head. Minerva twitched, her tail swishing back and forth as the pack watched their alpha.

"It's like they know you're in a bad mood," Grover said, his low voice filled with wonder.

Percy grinned, albeit it slightly bitterly, as he surveyed the obviously uneasy girls.

"Yeah," he said grimly. "Good girls."

Juno's head perked up at the praise but continued to prowl in obvious agitation.

"Should I run anything today?" Percy wondered aloud as he walked along the side, a hand reached out towards the paddock but not quite touching the dangerous, buzzing fence. "Are they too agitated or would a run get rid of some of it?"

"You know them best," Grover said uncertainly, "your call. Unless you want to call Ethan."

"Naw, he's real busy with that strange dinosaur," Percy said, frowning over at his girls.

Juno prowled as close to the fence as she could without getting shocked, one beady eye fixed on her alpha. Percy let his gaze wander down to her arms, where her sickle claw could be found in its deadly curl. Experimentally, Percy chirped. Her head automatically perked up and somewhere to the left, Ceres chirped back.

"The dinosaur responded to that last night as well," Percy said softly, not sure if the remark was meant for Grover or his pack. "It looked almost just like you."

But how _,_ Percy wondered, disturbed, could a mistake like that happen under Annabeth's careful watch?

"Like a raptor?" Grover asked, sounding too shocked to stutter. Percy glanced over his shoulder at his pale-faced friend.

"Yeah. But I don't _get it_ ," Percy said, shaking his head. "That shouldn't be possible, Annabeth'd never allow it. I don't see how anyone could get away with making a _couple thousand_ or hell _multimillion_ dollar dinosaur without somebody else knowing, especially Annabeth."

Grover bayed nervously, "Bla-ah-ah. I don't—I don't know."

"I mean, they can't lay eggs right?" Percy asked, squinting suspiciously at his girls. "They're all girls and I mean, not even mature yet—"

His thoughts were interrupted by the crunching of gravel that signaled the approach of a vehicle. Percy didn't bother turning around, sighing loudly as he examined the raptor across from him.

"Is that Ethan?" Grover asked as he spun around, holding a hand up to shield his eyes.

"No," Percy said wearily, not turning around. He didn't need to, he knew who it was. "It's Poseidon."

Behind the gate, Juno cawed, lowering her head as it swiveled around to inspect the new arrival. A little spark of pride flared in Percy's chest and he murmured, "Good girl."

Now that Percy _knew_ Poseidon was coming, his emotions decided to bounce all over the place. It was one thing to have his father sprung on him, which, you know, on one hand _sucked_ but on the other didn't give him time to _think_ about it. Now he could and he had to viciously squash the rolling emotions inside of him, like pesky little gnats that wouldn't leave him alone. _Dammit just go away._

"Percy, Grover," was Poseidon's greeting.

"Dad," Percy tried to say casually, stuffing his hands into his pocket as he peeked over his shoulder. The motion brought the road into view as well and he frowned before Poseidon could ever return the greeting. "Great, now who's this?"

Poseidon's eyebrow rose as he looked behind him, at the slick white car that was winding towards the paddock.

"Is that? Is that Annabeth?" Percy wondered out loud, shooting Grover a confused look.

Sure enough, the blonde haired park manager climbed out of the car a moment later, slamming the door as her eyes took in the paddock.

"Who's Annabeth?" Poseidon asked but Percy ignored him, raising a hand to shield his eyes as he watched Annabeth stalk closer.

"The park manager," Grover responded for him.

"Hey, Annabeth! Everything alright?" Percy called, grinning as she breezed right by his father. He hadn't expected to see her today, or at least, not unless he stormed the lab later that evening.

Annabeth's steel gray eyes flickered briefly over Poseidon before she planted herself firmly at Percy's side.

"Fine," Annabeth said shortly, shifting so she stood half in front of Percy, half at his side. She sort of half blocked his view of Poseidon, who was frowning down at her. Annabeth ignored him. Grover looked uncomfortable.

"What did Ethan say?" Percy asked.

"What?" Annabeth sounded almost distracted, frowning briefly before, "oh, about the dinosaur? He said they'd run some tests. I've been looking into the lab's and the nursery's logs all morning to try and make sense of it all, it's just not adding up."

"You mean you _still_ don't know what it is?" Grover asked, blanching.

Poseidon frowned. "Don't know what, what is?" He demanded, looking from Annabeth to Grover with sharp eyes.

"It's a Jurassic World problem," Annabeth said stiffly and Percy had a brief flashback to his first weeks at the park, when that frosty tone was usually directed at him. The tone didn't seem to escape Grover either, who's eyebrows were steadily raising.

Poseidon's face twitched and he took a step to the side, trying to peer around the park manager to talk to Percy. He never got the chance to even open his mouth when there was the sickening sizzle of the electric fence delivering its high voltage and Juno snarled, a grotesque caw shattering through the air. Grover yelped, jumping back as Percy's head whipped around, staring in disbelief as his beta willingly pushed her snout against the fence. Juno reared back at the electric shock, snorting and shaking her head as she shrieked in anger. By her side, Diane snarled, claws extended as she hissed at Poseidon. Ceres cawed her own displease as Minerva echoed Juno's cry, closing in on the beta's side.

Juno didn't seem all that fazed by the shock, shaking her head only for a couple seconds before continuing to caw at Poseidon. The end of her snout sizzled, the scales peeling back from the electric burn.

"What are you doing? Knock that off," Percy said firmly, alarmed by their sudden behavior.

Juno hissed furiously and, without thinking, Percy hissed right back. Her jaw snapped shut and she eyed him warily. Percy hissed again. Juno was visibly displeased, feathers pressed firmly against her neck and eyes mere slivers in her head. They flickered towards Poseidon, narrow little slits, but Percy hissed in warning once more and she lowered her head, making no more sudden movements.

"What the hell?" Grover whispered, sounding appropriately horrified.

"They've never done that before," Annabeth said, sounding strangely calm considering Juno just _attacked the fence._ "I think they're picking up on their alpha's mood."

"What?" Percy asked, narrowing his eyes at Juno as she prowled the edge of the paddock with obvious anxiety. "I mean, we've noticed that before but they've never done anything so _brash_ and freaky, she could have really hurt herself, oh god look at her snout."

"Or _gotten free_ ," Grover exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Hm," Annabeth said, raising one eyebrow and looking Poseidon dead in the eye. "But you've never been . . . anxious about anything before."

Percy's eyes flickered over to Poseidon, who had wisely stepped away from the paddock and was scowling at the raptors in obvious distrust. Oh. Dammit.

"This isn't normal behavior?" Poseidon demanded, eyes narrowing.

"Nope, they must just not like you," Annabeth said with a baseless smile. "So, for _safety_ , I'm going to have to ask you to stay away from the paddock. Now, if you excuse me, I need to talk to Percy for a moment."

"Um," Percy said as Annabeth grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away from his scowling father. "Promise they've never done that before? Mind waiting by the car, I'll be right—"

He trailed off awkwardly as Annabeth kept pulling him away, stumbling a little as he twisted around to blink down at the park manager. She shot a distrustful look over her shoulder.

"You alright?" She asked when they were a safe distance away from both the paddock and Poseidon.

Percy blinked. There were dark circles under Annabeth's eyes. He wondered if she got any sleep last night or if she stayed up burning the midnight oil, watching video logs and going through files to find out the identity of their mystery dinosaur. Her hair was a mess, pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, hastily tied and in disarray. He as at least ninety percent certain she was wearing the same shirt as yesterday. Yet she was here, eyeing him in concern, taking time out of this hectic day to make sure _he_ was okay because his deadbeat dad suddenly showed up out of the blue.

Percy's chest felt tight and strangely warm and he couldn't stop a goofy smile from twisting up his face. It fell away a moment later as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, I guess so," Percy said. "I mean, nobody's started shouting yet. Did you know Thalia was back?"

"Yes and you're deflecting," Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

"And you couldn't have let me get away with it?" Percy grumbled but sighed. "I'm fine, I'm a big boy."

"Juno seemed to think otherwise."

"I think you're right," he said slowly, "She isn't used to me being so uptight. I mean, I'm sure she can smell my emotions or whatever—"

"Pheromones is the word you're looking for—"

"My phero-whatevers." Percy waved his hand dismissively. "He's not—I'm not—"

He stared at Annabeth. "It's okay."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked, her lips twisting down.

Percy shrugged. "Not really? But I mean . . . it's not like he's the devil reincarnated. He _is_ my dad and he always has seemed to have a genuine interest in making sure I'm still breathing."

"That's a glowing endorsement," Annabeth said dryly.

"Us Olympains are known for it," Percy said cheekily with a grin and that got half a smile out of his friend.

"I can make him leave if you want," Annabeth suggested, her face deathly serious.

Percy's heart did something funny, jumping and skipping like Pitys when she saw carrots or Ceres whenever she found a new flower.

"I don't really think that's necessary, but thanks, Annabeth," he said warmly and, without thinking, he stepped forward, one arm winding around her shoulders and the other around her waist.

He instinctively folded around her, burrowing his face in her hair, cheek nuzzling against the top of her head. It wasn't until he was wrinkling his nose, trying not to sneeze as her golden strands of hair tickled his face, that he realized he just _hugged_ Annabeth, and oh god he didn't even warn her or ask for permission, what kind of weirdo was he—

Annabeth brought her arms up and squeezed him back.

"Parents suck sometimes," she whispered, both of her hands resting over the small of his back, one finger drawing odd, soothing little patterns.

"Yeah."

"But they're still our parents."

"Yeah."

"You love him anyway."

"Probably, yeah."

"Seaweed Brain," she murmured and he couldn't help but laugh, just the tiniest bit hysterically.

"Shouldn't you be doing important things like handling the unidentified dinosaur instead of playing therapist to poor pitiful me?" Percy wondered, unwilling to let go and wondering if he'd surpassed the acceptable time length for friendly hugs. He clung on a little tighter.

Annabeth thumped his back. "Not more important, just—"

"I mean in the grand scheme of things—"

"Shut up and hug me, Perseus."

That sounded like a great plan, Annabeth always had the greatest plans, so Percy shut the hell up and let her squeeze him for as long as she liked. What felt like all too soon, she was pulling away and he reluctantly let her.

She cleared her throat, one hand coming up to fuss with her unruly hair as she looked around.

"Well, I need to get back to the office, I have debriefings to do and logs to check over." She focused serious eyes at him. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'll be alright," Percy said, clearing his own throat and bobbing his head. If he said no would he get another hug? Maybe he should say no— "I'll take him away from the girls, maybe we'll go see one of the dinosaur shows in the park. You know, non-life threatening father-son bonding or whatever."

Annabeth's lips twitched as they began their walk towards where Grover and Poseidon stood by the cars. Poseidon had his phone pulled out, back half turned to the pair.

"Don't sound too excited. It's an open offer by the way," Annabeth said, pulling her keys out of her pocket. "If you ever need me to kick _anyone_ out just say the word."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're the best?" Percy asked fondly.

"A time or two," she replied breezily, throwing a grin over her shoulder.

They were close enough now that Percy could see Poseidon furiously whispering on the phone. His father's eyes flickered over as he noticed their approach and his face rippled, seamlessly transitioning from fury to a friendly and open mask in a heartbeat. Percy frowned, narrowing his eyes. Poseidon quickly hung up, just as Annabeth was wishing Grover a good day. The park manager narrowed her eyes at Poseidon as she stalked by him.

"Stop by my office tonight, Percy," she called as she brushed passed Poseidon.

Poseidon let her, taking a neat step to the side to avoid a collision. He watched her go with a vaguely amused expression, turning to Percy with a half a grin.

"She's a pretty one," he said, eyes twinkling.

"She's too young for you," Percy said immediately, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms.

Poseidon glanced at Grover, and to Percy's utter horror and disgust, the pair seemed to share some half-amused, half-exasperate sentiment.

"Of course," Poseidon soothed, holding a hand out to guide Percy forward. Percy tolerated the touch, letting his father steer him towards his car. "Now, why don't we get away from these stupid monsters of yours and go get some lunch. I want to hear about your new job and all the ways you're _not_ endangering yourself."

Percy snorted, "Yeah, okay Dad."

Poseidon faltered, and the half smile that was on his face when Percy peered over his shoulder in confusion was genuine.

"Okay, son," he said, squeezing Percy's shoulder.


	21. Chapter 21

"So, let me get this straight," Thalia said through a mouthful of blueberry muffin that she washed down with a swig of her coffee ("black, like my soul," she often deadpanned). "After the park closed down in the middle of an ominous thunderstorm, all fences on firm lockdown, employees at home and guests retired, you had a dinosaur on the loose?"

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed, scooping up the crumbs of her own muffin.

It wasn't exactly the breakfast of champions, her mother always sneered that muffins were cupcakes masquerading as breakfast, but Thalia had bought them and plopped them before her, complete with coffee, and how could she say no to that? Besides, she hadn't eaten since early the night before, only ten minutes or so before Percy's timely visit.

"God, it's like something out of damn horror movie," Thalia muttered into her coffee. Then, cup held up to her mouth, added, "Or from Alan Grant's biography."

Annabeth glared at her, unamused, but Thalia plowed on, undisturbed.

"Anyway," the dark haired woman said, all business-like as she leaned back, her chair groaning in protest. She threw her heavy, mud covered boots up on Annabeth's desk, ignoring the grimace the action dragged from her friend. "All the fences were closed by the time you got the call. No record of the creature in the labs—"

"No records found _yet_ —"

Thalia ignored her, taking another drag of coffee, "It has all the physical characters of a velociraptor and responded to stimuli our raptors respond to. Yet, its hormone levels suggests that it's older than three months, at which time a velociraptor would be much larger."

"Yes, very good nut shelling," Annabeth said dryly. Thalia flipped her off.

" _Obviously_ ," Thalia stressed, glaring at Annabeth, "Someone outside the park is making dinosaurs without our knowledge."

Annabeth froze, her coffee hovering halfway between the desk and her mouth as she just stared at Thalia in the aftermath of that declaration. She wasn't even sure how she was supposed to respond to the utter absurdity and ridiculousness of that statement.

"Cut the bullshit Thalia, I need real answers," Annabeth said, her voice flat.

"No, no you're right," Thalia snorted, rolling her eyes as she shoved the rest of her muffin into her mouth. "It's _far_ more likely that someone synthesized an animal that Jurassic World doesn't have a genome for, without alerting anyone to their process, avoided all forty something of our lab technicians and all fifteen cameras; recoded our embryo chamber to hide their new dinosaur then snuck an egg out to, what? A homemade incubator? Or, no wait, they used _our_ incubators but we never _noticed._ You're right, that's all _much more likely._ "

"Alright, alright," Annabeth said in irritation, her head throbbing dully as she set the coffee down to massage her aching temple. The residual heat from the coffee on her hands helped a little but not enough to really make her feel any better. God, life was so much easier when invisible fences were all she had to worry about. She let her hand fall down onto the desk and pointedly avoided Thalia's smug look.

"But that's hardly the _only_ answer, it's still incredibly farfetched," Annabeth retorted.

Thalia snorted.

"Hardly?" She repeated archly. "Occam's razor, Annabeth, the simplest answer is probably the correct one. We're talking about stealing, recoding— _somehow_ or another synthesizing a dinosaur that is similar to one of our own, yet distinct enough to not be in our databases. The simplest conclusion? We're _not_ the only ones making dinosaurs."

"I know what Occam's razor is," was all Annabeth could think to say, her stomach churning sickeningly. "But that's _not_ a simple answer Thalia—that's fantastical!"

"Oh please, Annabeth these are _dinosaurs_!" Thalia exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "Everything dealing with them is _fantastical!_ No, it's not a simple solution because nothing with dinosaurs ever is! But someone else playing with genetic coding is much more likely than someone creating a new species right under our noses!"

"Okay, say for a minute that I buy this theory," Annabeth said, sitting back in her chair and cradling her coffee close, as if the caffeinated liquid would protect her from this conversation. "Who else has the resources for such an expensive and time-consuming project? Not to mention space consuming, you can't exactly keep dinosaurs in a little dog cage. The sheer amount of technology and complex machinery needed to create a dinosaur is so far beyond the resources of the average person that to even entertain your theory is preposterous! Jurassic World is Lightning Corp.'s most expensive expenditure! Not to mention all the scientific resources and know how's you need to make a project of that magnitude work. Your average person on the street couldn't even dream of pulling something like that off. And in the rare few scientific communities where our level of knowledge is shared, funding is basically nonexistent."

"L.C. is hardly the only multibillion-dollar corporation in the world," Thalia said bitterly, draining the rest of her coffee as her feet shuffled back and forth on Annabeth's desk. "Dinosaurs are good for business, it's hardly the first time someone else has tried to edge into the prehistoric zoology business."

"And to prevent something like that from happening," Annabeth reminded her, "my mother had us patent all the genomes we synthesized for our dinosaurs. Since we filled in the gaps from the old dinosaur DNA and nothing like it can be found in the natural world, L.C. was able to patent the new genomes. No other company can use the same coding as us. It's . . . very difficult to find the right splices of DNA to fill in the gaps. Our scientists have spent _years_ trying to figure out the right combination of genomes to make stable and healthy dinosaurs that at least appear to function as the public would expect dinosaurs to. It's not an easy task."

"The missing dino didn't have any genome we're familiar with," Thalia ominously threw in, a backdrop to Annabeth's fearful thoughts.

"It's real small for a carnivore of its age," Annabeth recalled, "it's hormone levels were all elevated, and even taking stress and the tranquilizer out of the equation there's something not right. It's too small, easily injured, like . . ."

"Like an unstable animal whose genome isn't fitted together correctly," Thalia finished for her, eyebrows raising in a very 'I-told-you-so' like manner.

"Oh god," Annabeth said, picking up the phone. "We need to call Zeus."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"It's just a theory, it doesn't actually prove anything," Annabeth said. "And it doesn't answer the most important question of all: why did we find it in our park?"

"I'll take an all-terrain out, search the far perimeters and the dense forest regions," Thalia said and before the pair, the image of Zeus Olympian frowned.

"You think someone is hiding on our island?" He asked, his deep voice sounding simultaneously disturbed and doubtful.

Thalia crossed her arms, "Well, if I were trying to create dinosaurs and there was a highly successful dinosaur park already in operation what would I do? I'd scope the competition out. Not to mention steal information from them. Sure they can't use our exact genomes without getting into legal repercussions, but they _can_ use the same incubators and general infant rearing systems to keep their juveniles alive. That's a sound strategy."

"How would they get such information, our borders are heavily monitored and the fences impenetrable," Zeus demanded, his face hard and unreadable.

Thalia's face was just as hard and artfully blank; Annabeth had known the daughter of Zeus for so long, however, that she could read between the woman's expressionless brows.

"You think someone in Jurassic World is helping them," Annabeth groaned, running a hand through her hair.

Next to her, Thalia shrugged, "That's what I would do. I don't know how much is my natural paranoia, simply improbable, or whatever else you might want to call it. But I'm going to check it out."

"Run background checks on all lab personnel," Zeus told Annabeth, his stormy eyes barely flickering over to the park manager as he spoke. "No matter how important or integral they are to the scientific process; if they work in the labs, I want a thorough check on them, I don't care if they just clean the floors, check them."

"Of course."

A dark shadow fell across Zeus' face. It was, Annabeth privately admitted, a rather frightening sight. Sometimes she forgot how ruthless and cutthroat her boss really was. Thalia, on the other hand, wasn't the slightest bit fazed, staring unimpressed at her father.

"Something like this doesn't happen under my watch," Zeus declared icily, and the threat that simmered beneath his words promised of terrible revenge. Annabeth almost pitied the stock market and the shake up this encounter would undoubtedly wreck upon it.

"I'm coming down there."

"Wait, what?" Thalia asked, her face twisted up as Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'll be there in three hours," Zeus continued, standing up and motioning to someone off screen.

"Perhaps—" Annabeth tried to delicately cut in, but Thalia spoke over her, sputtering in disgust.

"Dammit Dad, why don't you just chill? We can handle it, it's fine—"

"I'd tell you to wait and go on your search after I've arrived but you won't listen to me, so take someone with you. Preferably Reyna or Clarisse," Zeus continued, ignoring both of them as there was a flurry of movement just off screen, Zeus passing a stack of papers to an unseen person.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" Thalia snarled, her lips curling and eyes flashing, and Annabeth contemplated running for the door. This was rapidly spinning away from business and towards the dangerous territory of Olympian family drama and she wanted no part in that particular disaster.

Zeus' face convulsed and for one glorious minute Annabeth thought that maybe he was going to say something sensible, something smart, _yes my daughter I know, I just worry about you and would like to keep you safe—_

"Don't take that tone with _me,_ young lady."

 _Damn wishful thinking_ , Annabeth mourned silently as the screaming began in earnest. Thalia wasn't rational when it came to her father (or, it seemed, Percy or Jason or the third Olympian cousin). Annabeth knew better than to get in between the feuding pair, or worse, try to reason with them. Instead, she very quietly took her leave, making sure to close the door behind her. Behind his desk, Connor looked up with wide eyes, half crouching behind the protection of his computer.

"Thalia and Zeus," Annabeth said in way of explanation and Connor grimaced, looking appropriately horrified.

"Should I evacuate the building?" he asked, hand already reaching for the building-wide intercom. Annabeth only wished he was being overly dramatic.

"Not yet," she said. "Zeus says he's coming down in three hours though, so warn everyone. It might be a little longer than three depending on how long they argue, but just prepare yourself."

"Thanks for the warning," Connor said, nodding as he typed furiously away on his computer, probably drafting the memo to warn the rest of the staff. "Did you guys get any work done before the shouting started?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said, running an exhausted hand through her hair. "Thalia offered some really good and utterly terrifying insight into the missing dinosaur problem. I don't want to start any rumors," she added firmly as Connor's head perked up, "so until we know anything concrete, keep your mouth shut. Now, I've got to go talk to Ethan. You all set up here?"

"I'm good, boss lady," Connor said, throwing her two thumbs up. Annabeth only wished she were in a better mood to enjoy his carefreeness.

"Good," she said instead, feeling utterly drained and exhausted as she left the office.

She didn't, she mused as she lifted her face up towards the sun, really want to go back to the lab. She didn't want Ethan to confirm Thalia's theory. The consequences of such a discovery made her exhausted just thinking about it. An image came unwittingly to her mind, of Percy in the shadow of the raptor paddock, his eyes downcast and weary as he leaned forward to wrap his arms around her, warm and tight and all-encompassing, and she found herself longing to be back in that moment.

 _Stop that,_ she told herself firmly, a little alarmed at the inappropriate thought as she shook her head. _Focus,_ she chided herself. Nothing good came from running, so she squared her shoulders and pushed the memory of Percy's distracting and warm (no, bad, stop) hug out of her brain as she made a beeline for Ethan's lab.

She didn't quite make it that far when a familiar face pulled her up short.

"Luke?" She called, momentarily thrown, not expecting to find the man casually leaning against the side of the genetics lab.

Yet there Luke Castellan was, calm and composed as he grinned down at her. He attracted more than a few stares, his blond hair bright in the sunshine above clear blue eyes, dressed in nothing more than a tight fitting sleeveless shirt and equally flattering shorts. Annabeth's gut tightened at the sight of him, but the unpleasant feeling that rolled inside of her was more closely related to distrust and unease than anything else. She found herself eyeing the man warily, drawing herself up to her full height as he held his arms out.

"Annabeth! It's been so long since I've heard from you!" He exclaimed, his wide grin lighting up his entire face.

It caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle, drawing attention to the scar that marred the left side of his face. She never really paid much mind to it before, like Percy's crooked grin the scar was just a part of Luke's face, something unique to him. Staring at him now though, the scar caught Annabeth's attention for the first time. It contrasted vividly with the brightness of his smile, like a dark rift in the middle of a calm, blue ocean.

"I thought you had all the information that you needed," Annabeth said, forcing herself to look away from the scar.

Luke pushed himself off the wall, slapping one hand against his heart as he gave a throaty laugh, "You wound me, Annie! I thought we were friends!"

Annabeth forced herself not to react to the hated nickname, willing her fingers not to clench around her tablet.

"I'm sorry Luke, now's really not the time, I'm very busy at the moment," she tried to deflect, walking passed Luke towards the lab.

"So I hear, something about a loose dinosaur?" Luke asked and he either didn't catch the dismissal or, as Annabeth strongly suspected with no small amount of irritation, ignored it as he stepped in line with her. "One that you're not entirely sure what species it is?"

Annabeth twisted around, narrowing her eyes at Luke's still pleasant face. "Hm, strange that you'd hear about it," she said, purposefully keeping her voice light and pleasant, like she would during a business conference, all false niceties and politeness. "Since we haven't released any statements yet and the situation has only been divulged to trusted Jurassic World personal."

Luke threw his head back and laughed, winking at her, "Oh, I have my sources."

His words were playful, but they stopped Annabeth in her tracks as she stared at the man. She carefully kept her face calm, but inside she felt something break. Luke's image shattered in her mind, right along that dark rift on his false face and in that moment she hated him. She hated him for tricking her, for deceiving her, for making a _fool_ out of her.

_You think they have someone inside Jurassic World._

Annabeth forced herself to laugh and was darkly pleased with how carefree and light it sounded. "And who would that be?" She asked.

"Oh now Annabeth, you know I can't reveal my secrets," Luke said with another wink.

 _Of course not_ , Annabeth thought, just smiling pleasantly at Luke as he smiled pleasantly back at her. It rather felt like a standoff, a poker game that Annabeth just realized they were playing. And damn if she didn't hold all the cards.

"Hey," Luke said suddenly, gesturing towards the lab. "How 'bout I take a sneak peek at this dino and see if I can be of any help."

"No," Annabeth said, shaking her head. "No, that's okay, but thank you. We don't want to expose it to too many foreign contaminates you see."

Luke made an 'ah' sound, bobbing his head.

 _"I'm_ not even allowed in, I was just dropping paperwork off," Annabeth added breezily, watching Luke's face out of the corner of her eye. She thought his shoulders may have relaxed a little at the statement.

Luke clicked his tongue, "Shame, but if there's any way I can be of help you just let me know."

"Oh I sure will," Annabeth assured him.

"Alright, well I'll just leave you be then," Luke said cheerfully, taking a step backward with that friendly and open grin on his face, the one that fooled her before. Annabeth wanted to slap it off his face. "Might head on down to the raptor paddock."

"Oh," Annabeth said, clicking her tongue in what she hoped sounded like sympathy. "I'm so sorry Luke, but Percy isn't at the paddock right now. And, according to our company policy—" company policy that she was making up right now and putting in the book the second she was back in her office— "no one can be in a paddock without the authorized trainer."

Luke bobbed his head like this was a perfectly reasonable policy (which, given the circumstances and the animals involved, Annabeth supposed it was).

"Of course, of course," he agreed amiably, "he's got to be back for feeding then right? When's lunch for the little demons huh?"

Annabeth hesitated a moment, thinking fast. Her gut reaction was to say he couldn't come, that she wanted him off the entire island dammit, nobody made a fool out of Annabeth Chase. She wanted to scream, to slap him, to—but that didn't matter. She neatly tucked the disgust away in the corner of her mind, breathing evenly through her nose to calm herself. Right now, it was more important to find out what Luke really knew and how he fit into this whole strange situation. Did he really work for Global Othrys? Was the entire company crooked?

What did he want?

Luke's smile flickered and she realized her silence would seem strange to him.

"Noon," she said with a polite smile. "You can come down to the paddock at noon."

"Great, hey just make sure to give the raptor trainer a heads up this time, huh?" Luke teased with a roguish wink that made her fingers itch to slap him once more.

Instead, she forced a lighthearted laughed and waved as he swaggered away. Once he disappeared, the smile slipped from her face, anger simmering barely contained under her skin. How dare he. She would make him regret it, Annabeth promised herself fiercely, pulling out her phone to tap and a quick message out to Percy;

_Where are you?_

She hadn't taken two steps when her phone buzzed in reply;

_mosasour-whatever. The swimming not-dino thing_

A pause then another text;

_i can't spell_

Annabeth's lips curled up at that, a soft laugh breaking forth as she shook her head and shot a text back;

_Mosasaurus. Be there in ten._

Her phone buzzed as Percy replied but Annabeth already tucked it away; whatever Percy wanted to say could wait until she got there. She looked back at the lab before promptly decided that Luke was a more immediate problem than the unidentified dinosaur. Besides, Ethan had that under control and promised to call with any changes. She was better off on this problem.

The mosasaurus exhibit was packed, not that this discovery was really a surprise. Annabeth squeezed her way through the crowd, her eyes finding the giant flashing clock at the entrance. _Fifteen minutes until next show!_ flashed underneath it and she nodded to herself, moving forward. Eager faces pressed against the glass panel of the underground hallway, peering wide-eyed into the dark waters of the lagoon as they anxiously searched for the giant beast within.

It would be hard, Annabeth conceded to herself as she squeezed against the wall, to pick Percy out of this crowd. She probably should text him again and ask him where in the exhibit he was when, almost instinctively, she found her eyes falling on a figure slumped over on one of the overcrowded benched.

Percy.

He was squished to the furthest side of the bench, practically only half on it as an eager child bounced at his side. He was leaning forward, one elbow resting on his knee, ancient flip phone dangling listlessly in the other as he despondently gazed out into the lagoon. Poseidon was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" Annabeth demanded tersely as she materialized at his side.

Percy jerked in surprise, elbow slipping off his knee in his shock.

"Annabeth!" He said, gaping up at her.

"I said I'd be here in ten minutes," she reminded him, eyebrows raised as she fought back a smile.

He seemed to recover from his surprise and a smile bloomed across his face, the lines smoothing back from his forehead as it stretched across his face, radiant and beautiful as though she brought the very sun to him.

"Well yeah, but," he babbled, waving his hand around like it somehow articulated his nonsensical, nonexistent point. "What's up, something wrong?"

"Yes," Annabeth admitted as he propelled himself to his feet, almost uprooting the poor excited kid at his side.

Percy hastily apologized, smiling sheepishly at the frazzled mother as she whirled around, holding her child close. The mother went from defensive to smiling and giggling, patting Percy on the arm in reassurance, in an instant at the sight of Percy's sheepish face. Annabeth really didn't blame her—but she forced that thought away as Percy detangled himself from the bench to join her.

"Whoops," he told her, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. It was ridiculously endearing and it drew a smile out of Annabeth.

"Seaweed Brain."

"So, ah," he asked as they sandwiched themselves against the wall, away from the ever constant ebb of tourists. "What's the problem?"

"It's—" Annabeth started to say, "Where's Poseidon? Weren't you supposed to be showing him around?"

It irritated her in a way she didn't want to explore and she scowled, looking around for the absent man. He came to see Percy, didn't he? What kind of asshole just sprang up on Percy like that, causing all that distress, and then disappeared, leaving Percy alone on that bench like a discarded puppy? By God, she would punch Poseidon the next time she saw, the absolute—

Percy shrugged, not looking particularly surprised. He sighed tiredly, "He got a phone call. Said he'd be back for the show."

At her furious look, he gave another shrug, "It's okay I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be," she snapped, infuriated on his behalf. "What kind of idiot doesn't want to—"

She cut off abruptly, the words not coming as she furiously opened and closed her mouth. What kind of idiot didn't want to bask in the glow of that smile Percy gave her earlier? What kind of idiot didn't want to try and make him give as many of those smiles as possible, instead of that stupid frown that seemed to mar his face more often than not as of late?

Her line of thought was startling and her face heated, an uncomfortable lump growing in her throat. Luckily, Percy didn't let her dwell on them for too long as he laughed.

"Doesn't want to deal with me all day? I can name a few," he teased. "But really it's fine, what's up?"

"Luke," Annabeth said, letting the subject drop for now because apparently, her subconscious was rebelling against her.

Percy's face morphed from carefree to moody and dark in a heartbeat.

"Oh," he scoffed and Annabeth had to hand it to him, he made an admirable effort to compose his face and dispel his obvious distaste. He failed, miserably, but she could appreciate his effort to be sensitive.

So she came right out; "I think he had something to do with the unidentified dinosaur."

Percy's head shot up. "Really?"

"Try not to appear too excited," she said dryly, crossing her arms and turning to stare out at the churching waters of the lagoon, separated from their vulnerable forms merely by the slate of glass that arched across the hall.

"I'm not," Percy said, then hastily clarified, "excited. I'm not excited. Well I mean, I was right so, yay I'm not paranoid, but like…not excited. Because he was your friend right?"

"I thought so," Annabeth muttered, staring pointedly out into the lagoon.

"What an ass," Percy muttered darkly. "So what are we going to do about it? There's a show in ten minutes, we could feed him to her."

Percy forked his thumb over his shoulder at the giant dark shape that swam through the lagoon.

"And how would that solve our problems?" Annabeth asked, fondly rolling her eyes.

"I don't know about you but it'd make _me_ feel better."

Percy grinned crookedly down at her, all teeth as he radiated a sense of smugness. It was ridiculous and it made her chest tightened even as she laughed, fondness for this ridiculous, impossible man swelling in her chest.

"Sorry about—"

Her laughter cut off sharply at the interruption. Poseidon stood before them, phone held in one hand as he half frowned down at her. It wasn't a particularly unsettling frown, like the one that graced his brother's face on Annabeth's computer just moments before, but rather tinged with confusion and more than a little bit of annoyance. Like how dare Annabeth actually pay attention to Percy. It made her scowl as she took an instinctive step closer to Percy.

"It was your uncle," Poseidon continued slowly, eyes slowly drifting from Annabeth back to his son.

"Everything alright or do you need to leave?" Percy asked tiredly, shoving his hands into his pocket. He didn't look particularly surprised, almost resigned, as if he already knew the answer to the question.

"No, no I'm not leaving," Poseidon quickly tried to assure Percy, his frown deepening. "It's just—" his phone buzzed again and a pained look fell over Poseidon's face. He pointedly didn't look at it, his fingers curling tightly around the buzzing phone but his eyes remained steadily on Percy's face.

"Let's go see that show," his father said, voice tight with forced lightness.

Percy waved his hand, "Just answer your phone and deal with it or you'll be distracted all day." Poseidon's face was stubborn, the expression unnervingly similar to Percy's own stubborn face, but Percy just sighed.

Poseidon's face was stubbornly set, the expression unnervingly similar to Percy's own stubborn face, but Percy just sighed.

"No seriously Dad just go," he said, sounding exhausted. "I have to go feed the raptors their lunch anyway."

Poseidon critically searched his son's face, and there was a look of infinite sadness deep in his eyes. Like he was pained by how obviously drained Percy was by his presences or perhaps how he really did want to spend time with his son. Annabeth crossed her arms, huffing to herself. Well, who's fault was that?

"Just until after lunch okay?" Poseidon asked wearily. "I'll take you out to dinner."

"Yeah Dad sure," Percy sighed, turning away.

"I mean it," Poseidon insisted. "I"ll be at your paddock in two, three hours tops."

"Sure, okay," Percy repeated, and it somehow managed to sound even more tired and dubious than his last answer.

"Come on," he said to Annabeth, nodding his head towards the exit as Poseidon just stared at the back of his head.

Annabeth winded her arm through his, tightly pulling him close to her side as they slithered through the throng of people.

"You're more important than that," she said hotly as they broke free of the sea and emerged on the other side of the exhibit. "You're worth ten of him."

"Can we just, not?" Percy pleaded, shoulders slumping, his brow turning in and she hated the downcast expression that settled in on his face.

She hated it so much she would have turned around and gave Poseidon a piece of her mind, and then set Thalia on him, and then thrown _him_ into the lagoon with the mosasaursus if Percy hadn't been steadily pulling her away. Instead, she gave his arm a squeeze.

"Okay," she conceded. "But just so you know, I'm still going to set Thalia on him later."

Percy shuddered and Annabeth grinned widely, pleased.

"Now, let's go meet Luke at the paddock shall we?" She asked pleasantly as she steered him towards her car.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Luke's fancy silver rental car slipped into the raptor paddock only a few mere minutes after their own arrival.

"They're a bit testy today," Annabeth called in warning as the man climbed out of his car.

"Hm, any idea as to why?" Luke asked casually as he sauntered over.

Percy uncomfortably eyed Annabeth, his face sheepish. _Because of Poseidon,_ Annabeth knew, just as much as she knew Percy's pride wouldn't let him admit it to Luke.

"We have a few," Annabeth supplied vaguely instead, letting Percy lead the way towards the paddock.

The girls were lounging around as they walked up. Minerva and Ceres were curled up next to each other, Minerva gently grooming her sister and not looking the least bit concerned with the approaching group. Ceres' head snapped up, tongue lobbing out as she excitingly chirped at Percy. That got Percy's lips to twitch, which turned into a full out laugh as Minerva angrily snapped at Ceres for moving; the younger raptor whined as her head was forced down, away from her beloved alpha, as her sister rather aggressively continued to groom her neck feathers.

Juno sat just to the right of the two sisters, her head held high but still as a statue as she watched the three approach. Diane prowled the edge of the paddock, hissing lowly.

"Hey girls, Alpha's home," Percy called affectionately.

Ceres happily chirped again, not able to lift her head from under Minerva's firm attention. Deep in her throat, Juno made a low thrilling noise but outwardly didn't move a muscle. It was rather eerie, hearing the noise rumbling from her throat without the animal herself moving. Diane just shrieked, ever the eloquent one.

Diane just shrieked, ever the eloquent one.

"My, my, they're gotten big," Luke declared, putting his hands on his hips as he grinned. "What exercises do we have planned for today?"

"None," Percy said, shooting Luke a disapproving look over his shoulder as he climbed up to the overhead bridge. "They're too anxious for that."

"They don't look anxious to me," Luke countered, eyebrows raised as he looked over at the girls.

" _I'm_ their trainer," Percy said coldly as both Annabeth and Luke followed him up onto the bridge. Juno's eyes followed them as they climbed, the rest of her body perfectly still.

"And they _are_ anxious," Annabeth agreed, her voice like steel as she crossed her arms, leaning against Percy as they settled in on the platform over the paddock. "Percy of all people would know."

Luke smiled and there was something grossly different about this smile. It lost all pretense of friendliness and geniality as Luke came to a stop across from them, and Annabeth knew the act was over.

"What do you want Luke?" Annabeth demanded coldly, "What do you want with our girls?"

"Oh _your_ girls, I didn't realize that you were so involved with the animals," Luke snarled, taking a step forward. There was something menacing about the single step and Annabeth stood ramrod straight, throwing an arm out as if to protect Percy from Luke's advance.

"Back off Luke," she said firmly, eyes flashing.

"Don't you realize how much _potential_ these animals have," Luke snarled, his face dark and twisted and so unlike the friendly and warm front he usually put on. "What an opportunity you're _throwing away?_ "

"They've been trained enough," Annabeth snarled right back, pushing Percy behind her despite his protests. "We've learned enough about them to fill _books_ , but there's only so far we should push. Do you realize how dangerous and _insane_ you sound? Do you want us to keep going until they _kill Percy?"_

The thought caused Annabeth's chest to tighten, and she inhaled sharply as she determinedly shook her head in denial.

" _Dammit_ Annabeth," Luke shouted, turning sharply to kick the side of the boardwalk.

The force of his kick shook the bridge, the metal bar groaning as it caved and Annabeth, who'd been partially leaning on the railing in an effort to keep Percy behind her, pitched to the side.

Her back hit the railing, head tipping back so the trees down below were upside down, their green leaves waving oddly at the bottom of her vision and she didn't even have time to scream, to catch herself, oh god she was going to fall into the paddock, she was going to fall right next to the girls, the agitated, angry—

" _Annabeth!"_

Then she was upright again, two strong, steady arms tightly wound around her waist as Percy bodily hauled her backwards, his face pinched and panicked. She instinctively grabbed onto him, one hand curling around the arm that held her firmly against Percy's chest, the other grabbing onto the back of his neck to anchor herself to him, to this feeling of safety and steadiness as she gasped for breath, rattled.

"Oh my god," he gasped, eyes wide in his pale face, "I've got you. I've got you, it's okay, oh my god, you're okay."

He looked more shaken up than she felt, mouth open as he gasped for breath and frantically searched her for injury, even though she hadn't actually fallen.

It was like a reflex, Annabeth later decided, like pulling your hand away from the stove before your mind even registered the heat, electronic pulses and instinct overriding the conscious mind; one moment she was staring into his frantic green eyes, then they were so much closer, her vision filled with nothing but those tempting pools of emerald; his eyelashes brushing against her cheek, his heartbeat pounding beneath her fingers; her lips pressed against his. Fluid; natural. She didn't even fully realize what was happening, so lost in the feeling of _rightness_ until someone made a choking sound.

She was kissing Percy.

Oh God, she was _still kissing Percy_.

The realization should have jarred her, made her jerk away like the hand that actually had been burned. Instead, she pulled away slowly, carefully. Percy blinked down at her, arms still holding her fast and tight against his body. His face was flushed, his mouth parted, lips swollen and red. He moved minutely, eyes flickering back down to her lips . . . and _that_ did it.

Oh God.

Oh God.

"Oh God," she gasped out loud. "Oh God."

Her mind stuttered, like an old record trying to get over a scratch, wait—wait—wait—

"Oh god," she repeated as she pushed herself away from Percy, hands flat against his chest as she tried to put distance between his flushed faced and her flustered thoughts. One of the raptors gave a shriek and she flinched.

Annabeth took one frazzled look at Percy and ran.


	22. Chapter 22

"Annabeth!"

The cry may have been more effective if Percy hadn't tripped immediately after uttering it, falling flat on his face as his foot twisted in the metal grating of the bridge as he tried to race after the rapidly retreating manager. As it were, he got a face full of bridge. Cursing, Percy pushed himself to his feet, grimacing at his newly acquired set of scrapes and bruises but he was far more occupied with _oh my god Annabeth_ to worry about them. By the time he was back on his feet and scrambling down the stairs, Annabeth was already climbing into her car. The girls shrieked on the other side of the fence, a harsh cacophony that distantly registered as _bad_ in his mind as he watched Annabeth pull out of the paddock.

He stopped at the edge of the fence, panting and head whirling. The hell was that?!

"Oh my god," he gasped, turning wide eyes on the paddock fence. "Oh my god, what just happened?"

The girls were all in various levels of agitation. Juno was visibly furious, shrieking like he'd never heard her before. She snarled anytime her sisters got too close, snapping and biting at them with enough force to actually draw blood. She snarled angrily, tail whipping around like a, well, whip, as she hissed and cawed, claws fully extended. She looked frankly terrifying.

Her behavior set off a chain reaction in her sisters.

Diane, ever the violent one, cawed almost as loudly as her beta, darting rapidly back and forth along the fence, snapping at anything that dared to move. Minerva gave a bone chilling caw, deep and low, not unlike a hunting cry as she prowled around her sisters. Not so little anymore Ceres stood closest to Percy, holding herself tightly, coiled and hyper aware. She made a low thrilling noise, unhappy and agitated as she pressed as close to the fence as she could. She looked up at Percy with dark, beseeching eyes.

_Alpha's little girl,_ he thought, only slightly hysterical.

"Well, I can see why little Miss Park Manager doesn't want you going in the paddock anymore—can lose her playtoy can she?"

Percy tensed at the voice, startled. He completely forgot Luke was still there. Oh god, and that he must have seen _everything that just happened_. Percy swallowed back a bit of hysteria as he turned around, crossing his arms.

"Get lost Castellan, I have better things to worry about, I need to—"

_Get back to the park, catch Annabeth,_ was on the tip of his tongue but Juno chose that exact movement to throw herself at the fence, electricity arching through the metal and sizzling in the air.

"Juno!" Percy cried as Luke recoiled, throwing himself backward.

"Juno stop!" Percy commanded, stepping forward.

Juno backed up, shrieking in fury and shaking her head wildly. The burns from her last encounter had yet to fade and now even more raw skin was visible, her snout bleeding and peeling from the shock. Juno shrieked in pain and fury, pushing forward once more.

"Juno, no!" Percy cried, his stomach sick with anxiety as he stepped as close to the fence as he dared, reaching a hand out as if to stop the enraged beta. "Juno, stop! You're hurting yourself!"

_They smell your emotions,_ a voice like Annabeth's reminded him. Percy shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts and get his emotions under control.

_Calm_ , he thought, taking a deep breath and trying not to focus on his _beloved beta electrocuting herself_.

"Juno," he called, eyes firmly closed. He didn't think he could look at her and remain calm, the sound and smell were sickening enough. God, he felt like he was going to puke.

"Juno, I said knock it off." He put real steel into his voice, drawing himself up to his full height. "Knock it off! Diane, quit your moaning! Minerva, stand still. Ceres, honey, it's okay."

He took another deep breath and opened his eyes, firmly planting his hands on his hips.

"You listen to me now girls and _behave._ "

Juno paused, tongue lobbing out of her mouth in an uncharacteristic display. Her face made Percy cringe internally, wanting to reach out and soothe his poor girl, to get medicine and cool water on her burned and blistered face. He forced the thought away, breathing carefully and slowly as he maintained steady eye contact with his beta.

"Calm," he said soothingly. "Calm now. It's okay. Chill out."

The other girls crowded in, Ceres' head low as she chirped nervously.

"It's okay," Percy repeated calmly. "It's okay."

Juno gurgled lowly and Percy tried to smile for his best girl. "It's okay Juno," he whispered to the blue raptor. "It's okay girl."

The feathers on Juno's neck ruffled but slowly began to smooth out, falling back into place as her jaw ground together.

"Shh, good girl," he murmured, wishing he could reach through the fence and run his finger over the distressed raptor's back. Instead, he clenched his hands into fists and cooed softly.

Juno's eyes drooped, her head swaying slightly.

"This is how you treat them? Like they're some kind of fluffy little pets or young children?" Luke asked in disgust.

Percy's nostrils flared and in the same instant, Juno's feathers were back to standing on edge, the raptor herself shrieking at the blond man. Percy viciously repressed his first reaction, which was to react with violence, preferably in the form of grabbing the nearest object and beating Luke over the head with it—but that wouldn't help the girls calm down.

"See what you did?" Percy hissed over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes furiously the man. "Don't you understand how dangerous they are? Stop provoking them or so help me god I will throw in the paddock with them, got it?"

Luke didn't look convinced or even particularly concerned, which was both insulting and understandable.

"I wouldn't actually throw him in," he grumbled to Juno. "God only knows what that'd do to your digestive system. Probably poison you, no don't worry, Alpha'll keep you safe."

Luke snorted behind him but it seemed to reassure Juno, whose feathers were settling back down again.

"Good girl," he cooed. "Let's just stay calm, yeah? Alright? Now, Alpha's gotta go take care of the icky blond guy, can you take care of your sisters while I do that?"

"Stop talking to them like they're babies," Luke said crossly.

"If I wasn't afraid you'd eat him and get sick, I'd let you play with him," Percy told the raptors solemnly.

Minerva gave a shriek and Percy nodded his head sagely like she'd said something vastly intelligent. "Yes I know, now behave while Alpha does alpha stuff okay?"

Juno gave a low croon, which Percy translated as 'okay'.

"Good girl," he praised and she held herself higher, looking more like the proud raptor he knew and loved.

"These things couldn't hurt a fly if that's how you treat them," Luke scorned as Percy turned away from the paddock.

Percy glared at him, stalking towards the infuriating man in an almost predatory fashion. For the first time, Luke looked a tad uncomfortable so Percy figured his message was finally starting to come across.

"They _are_ dangerous and _you're_ the one treating them like they're not," Percy snarled, continuing to stalk into Luke's space.

Luke took a step backward and then another when it became apparent Percy wasn't stopping. Good. He wanted the jerk as far away from his girls as humanly possible.

"When a dangerous animal's angry you don't continue to goad them or encourage the behavior, you _calm them down_. That's the way it works in the wild, that's the way it works here. You won't see a wolf pack letting a member getting away with being violent and destructive outside of hunts—that's why lone wolves exist. Not that it matters much either way; the girls are here to be studied and understood. They can't exist normally, that just isn't possible. Whether it was right or wrong to bring them into the world is not up to me or you to decide, and it doesn't really matter anyway because they _do_. They will never be normal, or natural, or really even true velociraptors. The best _I_ can do, the best anybody at this park can do, is to encourage their natural behavior and try to keep them _calm._ Because if they're not _calm_ then somebody's dead. We're not trying to 'tame' nature or anything like that it's just _common sense."_

"Why bother having them if you're not going to let them be real raptors?" Luke snarled.

Percy threw his hands into the hand, exasperate. "It's like you totally ignored everything I literally just said. Unbelievable. Because a real raptor would kill us and everybody in this entire park, that's why. Are you done asking stupid questions?"

"Not if you train them properly, wolves used to be apex predators too," Luke pointed out.

"Wolves still _are_ apex—you know what, fine. Get a wolf cub and try to domesticate it, Luke. Let me know how that works out for you; I hope it eats your stupid face. Now get the hell out of my paddock."

Luke sneered, his entire face dark and menacing. Percy wasn't impressed, little Nico's angry face intimated him more. His fingers twitched at his side, impatient to get going, to get this idiot out of his paddock so he could catch Annabeth. In the periphery, he was vaguely aware of someone walking towards them but didn't dare take his eyes off Luke.

"You should get in the paddock," Luke said softly, taking a step forward. "Or I might have to make you."

"I'd like to see you try," Percy snorted, not feeling the slightest bit worried. "Don't make me tell you again or I swear, I'll drag you out myself."

Luke sneered, and even though he didn't seem particularly moved by this threat either, he at least seemed to realize Percy was serious.

"You'll regret this," Luke swore.

"Yeah whatever," Percy dismissed, starting to turn away.

Luke reached forward and grabbed Percy by the arm, his grip hard and fast.

"Let him go, Luke," a sharp voice demanded at the same time Percy jerked away.

The voice seemed to startle Luke as much as it did Percy; his fingers slipped from around Percy's arm and Percy, not expected the sudden slack, stumbled backwards—and right into Ethan. Ethan's arm shot out to steady Percy, a dark scowl over his usually expressionless face.

"Ethan," Luke greeted, eyes flashing as he inclined his head at the scientist. There was something odd about the gesture, something borderline respectful in the tilt of his head and the tone of his voice.

"Castellan," Ethan stiffly returned, his own hand now resting on Percy's shoulder from where he helped steady the raptor trainer. "I do believe you were asked to leave . . . twice now."

Luke stared at Ethan and something not unlike confusion flickered in his eyes. "They want to stop the raptor program—"

"Nobody is stopping the program—"

"Not allowing Jackson to go into the paddock anymore is stopping—"

"You were asked to leave Luke, do not make us ask again."

Ethan's voice broke no argument; it was the firmest and angriest Percy'd ever seen him and he watched the geneticist with wide eyes as his jaw worked, his fingers iron tight around Percy's shoulder. Luke stared at Ethan, a dark cloud falling over his face once more. The jagged scar that twisted down his face crinkled at the change, a dark ravine on a once peaceful plane.

"Come, Percy," Ethan said as Percy glared right on back, his teeth on edge and body tense.

If it weren't for Ethan's iron clad grasp that dragged him backwards, Percy wasn't entirely sure he could have stopped himself from doing something rash . . . like punching Luke right in his stupid, sneering face. There was nothing but pure anger and hatred blazing in Luke's once cool blue eyes, a furious fire of hot intensity and Percy thought; _I hate him too._

Ethan all but shoved Percy into the passenger seat of his car.

"What if he doesn't leave?" Percy asked, glaring through the windshield at the lone figure across the way.

"He'll leave," Ethan shortly replied and that was all the reassurance Percy got before they pulled out of the drive, zipping down the pathway back towards the park.

"He doesn't have an ID—"

"I'll let the guard on duty let him through."

Percy slumped back in his chair, suddenly exhausted. His mind couldn't seem to stop whirling though, Juno's face flickering through before being replaced with Annabeth's and oh god, Luke'd seen all that, no wait that didn't matter, he needed to find Annabeth, talk to Annabeth—

He opened his mouth to blurt this thought out, raising his hand to point down the side road that led to the center of the park when Ethan turned sharply in the opposite direction.

"I need to talk to Annabeth, Ethan," Percy said, hand pressing against the cold pane of the window as if it would magically inspire Ethan to turn around and head in the right direction.

"I need to show you something," Ethan said shortly, turning sharply to the right as they careened towards the labs. "The baby dinosaur."

Percy opened his mouth to argue, _he needed to see Annabeth_ , but the car turned sharply again and, unprepared, his head slammed against the side of the car. Ethan murmured something that may have been apologetic as Percy rightened himself. This was, he realized in a bit of a 'no duh' moment, unusually aggressive and urgent driving on Ethan's part. Actually, Ethan's entire behavior so far had been strange and intense in a way Percy'd been blissfully ignorant of in his dazed state. God, what a strange day this was shaping up to be, he thought, feeling like he was three steps behind in an important and fast paced game he wasn't aware he was playing.

Ethan wouldn't be so urgent without reason Percy knew so he braced himself as they took another corner at an inadvisable speed and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just wait."

Percy wasn't great at the whole 'waiting' thing. His mind was too wired on a good day and with what just happened at the paddock—

"Ethan, I'm really not in the mood—"

"It's a raptor."

Because of course it was; Percy moodily stared out the window, at the shimmering top of the administration building that could barely be seen peaking out above the iron sea of the park. Percy wasn't a completely selfish asshole (he was, granted, occasionally selfish, and admittedly more than occasionally an asshole) so he knew in his heart that Ethan's problem was bigger than his own. With a defeated sigh and one more longing look in what probably was Annabeth's general direction, he turned back to the scientist and gave the appropriate response;

"What?"

He didn't really get a response in reply. Ethan pulled into his usual parking spot at the lab, the car jerking to a stop in a violent manner more conducive of Thalia than the usually reserved Ethan.

"Prometheus shouldn't have kept you out," Ethan said in the short clipped tone that he'd seemingly adopted for the day as he swiped his identification card on the beeping pad outside the genetics lab.

"I mean, he was kind of—" Percy said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as the glass doors gracefully slid back to allow them inside.

"Annabeth wanted you there."

Percy felt like he'd been punched in the gut, except, no, that wasn't exactly right. Being punched in the gut didn't feel good, unlike the swooping sensation that sucked his breath away now. It also made his lips burn and if it weren't for Ethan's hand firmly wrapped around his arm, he probably would have turned around and marched right up to her office. Probably, but as it were the geneticist pulled Percy along, passed a group of scientists all dressed up in their white lab coats and frowning disapproving at the pair. Ethan ignored them as he steered Percy deeper into the lab.

"And so did I."

Given the fact that Ethan had a grand total of zero (apparent) friends before Percy wrestled him out of the lab those few months ago, he supposed that should have more gratifying than Annabeth's approval. It was nice to be sure and Percy felt a spark of pride at knowing he succeeded in beating his friendship into Ethan—he still wanted to be on his way to Annabeth's office, though.

"Thanks, man," he said regardless, because that was significant and dammit, he worked hard to befriend the man. He couldn't just throw all that hard work away. "But I don't really see—"

He awkwardly trailed off as Ethan basically pushed him into a room, blinking in mild surprise at the walls that seemed impossibly whiter and more sterile than the rest of the lab. The very _air_ in this room felt different, a crystalline imitation of the fresh air just outside the thick, soundproof walls. It felt fake, wrong, too artificial and carried an almost mechanical tang that stuck to the back of Percy's throat as he inhaled.

There was a single incubator in the center of the room, connected to a couple dozen or so wires and tubes, delicate machinery crowding around the bright, yellow spot, beeping and flashing as codes and numbers flashed their indecipherable readings.

Ethan pushed Percy right up to it.

Percy waited for him to say something, glancing back at the man. Ethan's face was dark, his jaw working and brow furrowed. Knowing that Ethan often took his time to line up his thoughts before he spoke, Percy let him have a moment, peering into the incubator instead.

It was almost difficult to find the creature under all the wires and tubes that filled the incubator, yet under the mess, Percy could see the gentle rise and fall of the dinosaur's chest. Under the harsh, artificial lights of the lab, the poor thing appeared infinitesimally small and breakable. One claw weakly twitched at its side, the curl of the long sickle reminded Percy more of plastic, the final accessory on a cheap toy one might find in the gift shops just down the street, than one of nature's most dangerous weapons.

"It's a raptor," Ethan repeated, bringing Percy's attention back to him.

"But—?" Percy trailed off, floundering uselessly. " _How?"_

Ethan pointed to the slumbering beast below, "It has all the physical characteristics of a raptor. The correctly aligned bone and muscular structures, the enlarged brain, the sickle claw. The only physical difference between this one here and your girls is size."

"But—"

"Hormone readings are consistent with a bipedal carnivore of three months. Factoring in the creature's malnutrition and sickly state, with a few variations, this one's readings are almost identical to the pack's."

"What variations—"

"Variations one might find between different breeds of closely related animals, between a Golden retriever and a Labrador retriever. Very closely related."

"But the girls—"

"Were much bigger when they were this age. This one's growth is stunted. Something went wrong in the splicing of the genes, the formations are wrong. The very building blocks that are supposed to hold it together are simultaneously tearing it apart, its very biology inhibiting its ability to grow normally, fight off sickness and other vital aspects of life. Its bones are brittle, it has at least six different broken bones right now and twice as many fractures."

Percy's head spun. He felt like he had all the pieces to a puzzle, but there were thousands of them and he didn't know what the end picture was supposed to look like.

"So wait, there are different breeds of raptors?"

Ethan looked pained, his face pinched and—

"Or are you saying someone built this dinosaur wrong?"

And Ethan's face cleared, shoulders falling as his eye flickered shut. He looked . . . oddly pleased, relieved almost.

"I don't get it," Percy said, irritated with this whole guessing game. "Do you know what's wrong or not Ethan? Because none of this makes any dammed sense. We don't build dinosaurs wrong here, not under Annabeth's watch. We have perfectly fine raptors that are built _right_ —" Ethan started to open his mouth and Percy irritably talked over him, not having any of it—"or _whatever_ they're alive and functioning. What's this thing doing here? We obviously didn't build it so who _did_?"

"Who indeed," Ethan intoned, his voice and face blank and monotone.

"Don't give me that," Percy snapped, irritation mounting. "I'm sick of this whole thing Ethan, what aren't you telling me? You seem to know so much about this raptor, or at least you've figured it out. And I really want to think you've just figured it all out. What the hell's going on?"

Ethan stared at Percy, his back ramrod straight and stiff. His jaw flexed. He broke eye contact, dark eye turning instead to the dinosaur in the incubator.

"What's wrong Ethan?" Percy repeated, softer this time as he stepped closer to his friend. Ethan's face took on an almost ghost-like whiteness under the sterile lights of the lab, his eye pitch black as he avoided Percy. "Look, I'm sorry I shouted, but whatever it is, we can figure it out together okay? You've got friends you know."

He paused, suddenly feeling sick, "Is someone threatening you?"

Ethan tilted his face, the movement almost robotic, one point two degrees to the side so Percy was just barely in his line of sight.

"You should go talk to Annabeth now."

Percy wasn't sure how Ethan even got the sentence out from between his still lips, but the stillness shattered a second later as the scientist swept from the room, the door slamming shut behind him with such a bang that the little creature inside the incubator gave a low croak.

One sharp, yellow eye opened and the dinosaur, the little raptor, looked up at Percy.

For some reason he couldn't quite understand, Percy shuddered, a thrill of fear shooting through him under the attention of that stark, yellow gaze.

"Dammit Ethan," Percy grumbled, resolving to avoid looking back at the improperly made raptor as he ducked out of the room.

"Ethan!" Percy shouted down the hall, not letting the jerk escape so easily.

His shout drew disapproving glares from the sterilely dressed lackeys in the hall, but Percy ignored them as he stormed along the white walls. He got enough of the dramatic exits from his father and Thalia, he wasn't going to tolerate them from Ethan too.

"Did you see Ethan come by?" He demanded from one of the disapproving lackeys.

"No," came the terse answer, "and you're not supposed to be in here."

"So call security," Percy snapped, not caring in the slightest bit as he shouldered his way passed the unhelpful lackey to continue his search. The guy shouted something after Percy, but Percy really couldn't have cared less.

"Ethan!" He shouted again, his voice echoing rather satisfyingly around the lab hallways.

"Ethan!" He called as he stuck his head inside Ethan's usual lab.

"Ethan!" He repeated, throwing open random doors and forcing his way through the labs.

"Ah, Mr. Jackson," answered his call as he rounded a corner and Percy found himself frowning up at Prometheus.

"Have _you_ seen Ethan?" He asked tersely, rocking back forth on his heels as he tried to peer behind the giant scientist.

"No, but I have found the individual interrupting the very important and extremely _delicate_ work of my labs," Prometheus said, his voice sickly pleasant and completely at contract with the dangerous grin on his face.

"I'm not leaving until I've seen Ethan," Percy insisted, crossing his arms and stubbornly planting himself before Prometheus. He lifted his chin in challenge, which caused Prometheus' smile to widen.

"I'm afraid you are leaving," Prometheus corrected in that same disgustingly pleasant voice.

"Oh?" Percy asked, his Olympian temper flaring as he unthinkingly added, "What are you going to do, force me?"

Percy willed his face to remain neutral as he looked up at the giant scientist, inwardly panicking; Prometheus was _huge_ , at least half a foot taller than him and definitely a hundred plus pounds. The guy was built okay and Percy spared a moment to suspiciously wonder if he was even really a scientist at all and not like, an evil henchman from a Bond film. Percy pushed the thought away because he was stupid and reckless, squaring his shoulders to level a patented Olympian glare at the scientist.

It proved ineffective.

Two minutes later he was bodily dragged out of the lab, Prometheus' iron grip on his arm painful and unyielding as he unceremoniously threw Percy outside.

Percy stumbled but managed to catch himself, whirling around to glare at the glass doors as they slide shut on either side of Prometheus' stupid, still smiling face.

"Have a pleasant day Jackson!" The jerk called.

"Where's Ethan!" Percy shouted back but, of course, his cry went unheeded.

Percy raised his fist to angrily pound on the door, to cuss and scream and demand _to see Ethan dammit_ , when the unbidden image of Thalia flash through his mind, her eyes flashing as she screamed and pounded in full, unbridled Olympian fury. The parallel made him shudder and he let his hand fall.

"You're a terrible influence," he told his absent cousin, grimacing as he shoved his hands into his pockets, pivoted on his heel to stalk away from the lab.

His thoughts soured with every step he took and when he reached the corner, he felt almost sick as he paused to crane his neck back and stare at the sparkling white lab behind him.

"What're you doing Kelp Brain, I didn't think Annabeth paid you to just stand around and look pretty."

There were so many things Percy took offense to in that statement (he was paid to do a very dangerous job thankyouverymuch, he just happened to look stunning while he was doing it, and _oh god Annabeth)_ but what came out of his mouth was a confused;

"Kelp Brain?"

His face twisted as he spun around to wrinkle his nose at Thalia, who stood behind in all her unimpressed and dark glory. One perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose as his cousin huffed, popping her gum obnoxiously.

"Why are you all dirty?" were the next words unwittingly spilling forth from his lips as he took in Thalia's mud soaked pants and windblown hair.

"Got into a wrestling match with a pterodactyl," Thalia deadpanned.

Percy squinted at her suspiciously. The corners of her eyes were tight, her mouth pressed into a hard line, and there was a sort of dark shadow over her face that could only mean one thing.

"What'd he do?" Percy demanded hotly, any thoughts of Ethan or Prometheus or even Annabeth flying right out of his head as righteous fury at Zeus flared in their place.

"Don't—"

"Don't tell me not to worry about it!" Percy hotly objected, his loud voice carrying down the street and attracting the unabashed stares of many park goers.

"It wasn't even all the big of a deal," Thalia grumbled, waving her hand around as she grabbed him by the elbow, dragging him away before he made a scene. As if _she_ wasn't guilty of doing so much more, the hypocrite.

"Liar," he accused, begrudgingly allowing her to manhandle him through the crowd. "I'm gonna burst right into one of his stupid, expensive offices and break his—"

"Where's Poseidon?" Thalia sharply interrupted.

"Hey don't change the subject, we were talking about _your_ deadbeat dad—"

"He doesn't _trust_ me," Thalia snarled in agitation, swiping her ID so venomously on the flashing green pad that the poor plastic bent and made a _swish_ sound in panicked protest. "As soon as something big starts happenin', it's 'oh Thalia, stay inside, I'll come down and fix it'."

"Fix what?" Percy asked, not following, but his voice was still furious and self-righteous. (His mother always, in a half exasperated, half affectionate sort of way, claimed that to upset one of the cousins meant to upset all three of. _Hell hath no fury like the Olympian cousins,_ she'd tease.)

"He just flew in," Thalia said viciously, stabbing her finger on the up button for the elevator, her grip painfully tight around his arm after dragging him through the lobby.

"Wait, he's here?" Percy asked incredulously as he was pushed into the elevator.

"Are you listening to anything I'm saying?" Thalia scathingly asked.

Percy dismissed her aggressive tone, absently patting her on the shoulder like it would help or something. Thalia got defensive and snappy when she was emotional, as if pushing people away would save her the pain of letting anyone get too close. Percy and Nico called bullshit and pushed closer (well, figuratively, because physically pushing closer when Thalia was agitated would mean getting a black eye or a one-way ticket to the hospital).

"I've had a bad day too okay?" Percy puffed out a loud breath, letting his head fall back and bang against the glass siding of the elevator. His head hurt . . . kind of hurt worse now that he, you know, bashed it against the elevator, but yeah. What a day.

"Damn, look I can only handle so many deadbeat dads at a time okay so one of ours needs to leave."

Thalia's lips twitched at that, huffing a quick breath out of her nose in dark amusement. They stared at one another for a long moment, ignoring the distant ding of the elevator as they climbed higher into the sky, not needing words to vocalize the lingering hurts of the barren childhoods that seemed to forever mar their lives; scars that utterly refused to fade no matter how many years stretched on.

"You know," Percy said after a while. "You've got a piloting license, we could just steal his beloved jet and be in L.A. in a few hours. I'm sure Nico wouldn't mind."

Thalia snorted, her face cracking into a startled grin, and then both of them were dissolving into hysterical giggles, leaning against each other as they gasped and shook with uncontrollable mirth.

"Oh my God, imagine his _face_ ," Thalia managed to gasp out which triggered another round of hysterical giggling.

"Oh, ah—"

Thalia and Percy's heads jerked up at the voice. Travis stood outside the opened elevator doors, one foot forward as if to step inside, his eyes wide and full of disbelieving horror as he took in the scene before him.

"It'd look like that," Percy declared, pointing at Travis' pale face.

The declaration caused the cousins to dissolve into hysteria again. He distantly heard Travis stammering out an excuse to not use the elevator and a second later the doors were sliding shut and the Olympian cousins were climbing once more. The lights above the elevator door flashed and changed as their harsh and frenzied chortles faded into silence. Percy let his head fall onto Thalia's shoulder, breathing in deeply the familiar and comforting smell of pine and leather that allows clung to his cousin, that meant _home_ just as much as blue cookies and a cramped New York apartment.

The elevator doors opened again but no unwanted passenger tried to breach their stronghold as Thalia rested her chin atop Percy's head.

"We're hogging the elevator," Percy muttered after the fourth or fifth time the elevator came to a stop. Thalia didn't respond and Percy let the silence swell, closing his eyes.

"Maybe," he mused a couple floors later. "He didn't come down because he thought you couldn't handle it but because he was worried."

Thalia snorted and Percy wrinkled his nose as he felt the vibrations move along her throat.

"Yeah sure," his cousin scoffed, the collar of her jacket poking him in the eye as she shifted. "Of what? A dinosaur already locked up tight?"

Percy shrugged the best he could half hunched over and tucked into Thalia's side. "Well, he's avoided you ever since Jason's—" _resurrection, reappearance?_ —"Jason. Maybe he's trying to make it up and spend time with you."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it," Thalia sneered. The elevator pinged, doors sliding open once more as if silently bidding their long riding passengers to kindly depart.

"Alright," Thalia groaned, pulling away from Percy, forcing him to stand upright as she rolled her shoulders. "Enough of my bitchin', let's do you real quick; where's Poseidon?"

"No idea, he said he'd meet me for dinner."

"What an ass, I'll punch him if he doesn't show up. Why were you standing outside the lab looking like someone'd kicked your puppy?"

"Ethan's being cryptic and weird and I'm afraid he might have something to do with the dinosaur," Percy miserably confessed.

"Dammit," Thalia spat in disgust, face souring. "We'll come back to that. Why did you look panicked when I mentioned Annabeth?"

"Ann—?"

"Did you finally realize that you're in love with her?"

Percy gaped, opened mouthed, at his cousin, blood rising to his face as he sputtered in shock.

"Or," Thalia asked, ignoring him, "did she finally stop denying that she's in love with you?"

"What?" Percy squeaked, heart leaping into his throat as his pulse sky-rocketed. "Wait—"

The elevator doors opened and this time Thalia had the audacity to stroll right out. Percy stumbled after her, still sputtering.

"God, you two kill me, you really do. Come on," Thalia called, making a 'follow me' gesture over her shoulder.

"What do you mean she's in—?" Percy demanded, his throat closing up on the last word as his lips tingled with the phantom memory of that morning's kiss.

"I mean exactly what I said," Thalia said impatiently, "now let's go talk to Jerk-Face the Third, my dad, about this Ethan problem before you go declaring your true love okay?"

Percy choked on air as Thalia shoved him into the office adjacent Annabeth's. Percy tried to crane his neck around—in love with?—but Thalia was having none of that and pushed him into the room.

"Dad, Percy thinks he's knows something," Thalia announced, slamming the door shut behind her.

Percy blinked in surprise at the man sitting behind Thalia's desk, not quite expecting to come face to face with Zeus Olympian despite Thalia's warning. A light frown marred his uncle's face, like he was mildly but sternly disapproving their sudden entrance . . . and probably Percy's entire existence.

Zeus was an admittedly impressive figure; although he was the shortest of the three Olympian brothers, he alluded a sense of power and authority that escaped either of his older and more physically intimating brothers. His narrow blue eyes always kind of made Percy feel inadequate and small.

"I imagine Poseidon shall be pleased to hear it," Zeus' deep voice drawled dryly, "as he's been trying to convince me of the same for years."

"Hey," Percy objected, affronted.

"Stop being an ass," Thalia scolded. Percy didn't even have time to smirk smugly at his uncle before she lobbied at him, "And shut up Percy, you're no Einstein. He thinks one of the lab people has information on how the unidentified dinosaur came to be."

"Hm," Zeus mused. He sat back in his chair, sharp eyes studying Percy with an uncomfortable scrutiny before waving his hand. "Go on then."

"I don't think I want to," Percy told Thalia.

"The more you resist the longer he's going to be here so start talking," Thalia commanded with an impatient wave of her hand.

"He's not . . . One of the lab guys," Percy vaguely started, not willing to leave Ethan to Zeus' prejudice and merciless fury, "has been acting stranger than usual lately. Saying odd things, dropping vague hints . . . and today he told me that—shouldn't I be talking to Annabeth?"

Zeus drew himself up, obviously offended, as Thalia waved a hand dismissively.

"No, I can't stand it when the two of you are in the same room, it's disgusting. Like a goddamn tragic romcom that I won't have any part of. You can be pathetic on your own time. What did he say about the dinosaur?"

"That it _was_ a raptor," Percy said, shrugging. "That it's hormones and stuff were on point with my girls' except it was too small and brittle. Like someone made a raptor but put the parts together incorrectly so the raptor was weak and wasn't growing right."

Thalia looked smug.

"He's also been dropping hints about a company called Global Orthyl," Percy said. "I think they might have something to do with it."

"T-Core bought Global Orthyl," Thalia explained.

"I know that," Zeus muttered, scowling.

"Oh did you?" Thalia asked, one eyebrow skeptically raising.

"Luke Castellan," Percy loudly interrupted. "Castellan came down to do 'research' for Global Orthyl but all he did was take an unhealthy interest in my girls. Just this morning he thought he could intimidate and threaten me to keep working with them, in the cage I mean."

"What do you mean he threatened you?" Thalia asked sharply, head jerking around so fast he swore he could hear it crack.

"I mean in the vaguest, least bit concerning way as possible," Percy quickly assured her. "All 'you'll regret this' or whatever."

"I'll feed him to the raptors," Thalia declared.

"Castellan, I've heard that name before," Zeus thought out loud, brow furrowed. He turned his back on the cousins, muttering to himself as he flicked through his computer.

"Is that a dismissal?" Percy asked, unsure as he glanced at Thalia.

"Probably, he isn't used to people actually being in his space instead of on video calls," Thalia snorted, crossing her arms. "Still here Dad."

"Good, you are very important," came the only kind of distracted response.

'Told you so,' Percy mouthed at Thalia, who wrinkled her nose.

"He's not even listening," Thalia insisted, "Here watch: Uncle P's on the island."

"Very good," Zeus muttered, double-clicking the computer mouse before his head snapped up, his face the perfect picture of revulsion. "Poseidon is _where?_ "

"Told ya'," Thalia snickered, rolling her eyes.

She threw herself down on one of the reclining chairs that crowded the walls of the room as Zeus grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of 'annoying, pesky brothers', 'can't they ever stay in their own damn houses', 'bet he isn't even paying to rent a hotel'.

"He said you gave him a discount," Percy supplied.

"He didn't get a discount," Thalia huffed, getting comfortable. "Alright, well I'm done with you, we've got important things to discuss now before Dad leaves here _soon_ —"

"I'm not going anywhere and in what hotel did Poseidon say—"

"— _very, very soon_ here. Annabeth's next door, go bother her, but for God's sake remember I'm literally right here and the walls are thin."

_"Thalia!"_ Percy exclaimed, face aflame.

"Things to remember lover boy," Thalia said matter-of-factly, "Now get."

"Getting," Percy feverously promised, spinning on his heels. "Oh my god."

Thalia's evil cackle followed him out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pled sleep deprivation and midterm season for any (ha, I mean all) mistakes in this chapter. Thanks to everyone for being so lovely and sticking around for 100k to finally get to a kiss <3


	23. Chapter 23

Running was not only cowardly but a very ineffective and counterproductive move on anyone's part; sooner or later everyone has to face their demons and running away would only prolong the inevitable and increase the anxiety and fear of it. Annabeth knew better. She didn't run away from challenges, from hardship, from angry stock partners or outraged guests. She would take them all on because she was Annabeth Chase and she wasn't afraid.

Emotions, though, emotions would be the death of her.

Annabeth sat in her car, knuckles white from how hard she gripped the wheel.

She kissed Percy.

She kissed Percy and he kissed her back.

She kissed Percy and _liked_ it.

When, she wondered, letting her head fall miserably on top of her white knuckles, exactly had she fallen so hard for the stupid, ridiculous, admittedly good-hearted and well-meaning, surprisingly funny and kind, not to mention _hot—_

"Alright calm down," Annabeth said loudly, sharply cutting her traitorous thoughts off.

She peeled her face off of the steering wheel, yanking the keys out of the ignition as she threw open the car door. She meaningfully strode through the parking lot, making a beeline for the Apatosaurus handler on the other side. Silena's perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose in surprise as her boss strode closer.

"Hey Annabeth," she greeted pleasantly. "I thought you had to be at the labs today. I don't have the bloodwork on the one-year-old yet, her adopted mother's a little stressed right now since the child's sick, but we should be able to—"

"That's fine, just get it to me whenever you can," Annabeth quickly intervened.

Silena paused, red lips pursing for a moment as she looked at Annabeth . . . and saw right through her. A delighted grin curled up the excited woman's face and she laughed with glee, clapping her hands together.

"You're finally going to make a move on Percy, aren't you? And you want my advice? Oh, I've been waiting for this—okay now don't be coy, that won't work for Percy. The guy can't take a hint, although with a face as delicious as his I have no idea _how_ —"

"Silena," Annabeth exclaimed, face heating. Then, "What do you mean you've been waiting?"

"Oh honey," Silena said, tsking her tongue and staring pityingly at Annabeth. "It's _obvious."_

"I—" Annabeth tried to object, but found she had no words to defend herself with. Instead, she closed her mouth as Silena smugly grinned.

"I thought it was just because he was hot," Annabeth exploded, frustration boiling over as she gave voice to her long repressed and hidden thoughts. "With his stupid perfect face and his stupid abs—"

Silena's face light up, "You've seen him shirtless?"

"Not the point Silena," Annabeth dismissed, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"Honey, I'm not going to steal your man," Silena said with a laugh. "I've got my own. So what? You thought you only wanted his body?"

" _Silena,_ " Annabeth complained, wrinkling her nose. "I thought he was _hot_ but stupid and annoying so therefore the thoughts were meaningless."

"What _kind_ of thoughts?" Silena asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

" _Silena_ ," Annabeth all but begged, "please I'm having a crisis here."

"Right, sorry," Silena giggled, schooling her face into something solemn and respectable. "Go on, then, what changed? Realized he wasn't as stupid and annoying as you thought?"

"He's a Seaweed Brain, but no he's not stupid and he's actually not all that annoying . . . most of the time," Annabeth muttered, then, wrinkling her nose, she delved deeper into those suppressed thoughts she hid even from herself.

"I like spending time with him, he's got a lot of good ideas actually, and a great sense of humor, and oh my god is he ever clueless sometimes but you wouldn't believe how cute it is. He gets this look on his face—"

"Oh honey," Silena giggled and Annabeth pulled herself up short.

"Oh my god," she said in self-reflective horror. "Oh my god I'm falling in love with Percy Jackson.""Darling, you're a little passed the falling stage," Silena said kindly, patting Annabeth on the shoulder.

Annabeth stared helplessly at Silena, feeling like the very ground had been stolen from beneath her.

"It's not the end of the world to fall in love," Silena told her gently, punching Annabeth's shoulder. "Don't look so stricken, some people even think it's a good thing."

"It's _Percy_ ," Annabeth said. "Thalia's precious little cousin, the guy who was the very bane of my existence a couple months ago."

"Well, you don't have to worry about Thalia, she knows," Silena said, ignoring how Annabeth flinched and blanched at the thought. "She already barged in here to ask me how long you two have been dancing around each other. I don't think she's too upset about it."

The ground could swallow her up and Annabeth wouldn't even complain at that point. "Thalia?" She repeated weakly.

"You can't pull a fast one on Thalia," Silena said knowingly. "Especially when it comes to you two. She must think you two are a good match. As for the _bane of your existence_ , people change. People's ideas and perceptions of each other change. It's not really so strange to love someone you once hated. In fact, I'd wager most people find themselves in the same exact position. There's a thin line between love and hate you know. The real question here, Miss Annabeth Chase, Park Manager and Knower of All Things, is, what are you going to do about it?"

"I kissed him."

Silena's mouth dropped.

"And then I ran."

"Annabeth!"

"I know!" Annabeth exclaimed, running an agitated hand through her hair. "I know, I know." She threw her hands up in the air. "I just didn't know what to do! It surprised even me!"

"Did he kiss you back?" Silena asked urgently.

The vivid image of Percy came to mind, his pupils blown wide and lips parted as he looked down at her and she couldn't stop her hand from coming up to her lips, a smile edging on her face.

"Yeah, he did."

"Then what the hell are you doing here!" Silena exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Go sweep your raptor trainer off his feet!"

"This is not how I imaged my life would turn out," Annabeth grumbled as Silena bodily marched her back to her car, fussing with her hair all the while. "Leave it in the bun—"

"No, down, fluffed and sexy," Silena said firmly, pulling and yanking on Annabeth's poor hair as Annabeth tried to unlock her car door. "And what do you mean? You didn't picture yourself as the single most successful woman of her generation about to go sweep her incredibly sexy and adventurous boyfriend-to-be off his feet? Damn girl, what more do you want?"

"For this conversation to be over and never to have to repeat it," Annabeth firmly replied but she was grinning as her friend pushed her into the car. "Alright, alright I'm going."

Silena laughed heartedly, shutting the car door and staring down with sparkling eyes at her friend through the rolled down window. Annabeth gripped the steering wheel tightly in her hands once more, peeking up at Silena and trying to quell the unease and fear rolling in her stomach. This was so out of her alley, so out of her comfort, why couldn't love be as simple as numbers on a page?

"He looks at you like you hung the stars themselves," Silena said kindly.

"Really?" Annabeth asked, her lips curling, soft and gentle.

"Yes," Silena said, pounding on the car door before taking a step back. "Now go get 'em, girl. And send us mere mortals a picture of his abs!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes but started the car. As she pulled out of the parking lot, Silena threw her two thumbs up in the rearview mirror and the park manager laughed out loud. Her heart felt lighter than it had all year, layers of stress peeling away with every mile she closed between the park and the raptor paddock.

Then her phone rang.

"Hi Connor, look I need to see Per—"

"It's Travis," hissed the voice on the other end, urgent and fearful in a way that made Annabeth's stomach drop. Dammit, not now.

"You need to get back here as soon as possible," Travis hissed and Annabeth sighed out loud, giving the winding road that led back to the restricted section a longing look before reluctantly turning around. Silena was going to be pissed . . . Annabeth wasn't feeling too great herself either.

"Thalia and Percy have gone mad."

"What? Percy's up there?" Annabeth asked, only slightly distracted. "What do you mean they've gone mad?"

"They're in the elevator," Travis hissed, like this was some terrible travesty. " _Giggling like madmen_. I've warned the whole building not use it. They've been in there for _ten minutes_ , just riding and _giggling_. I think they've lost it."

"Oh," Annabeth said, blinking as she drove back into the park. Well, that was convenient. "Okay, I'll be there in a sec."

Not giving the frazzled man time to say anything else, she hung up, tossing the phone onto the passenger's seat as she drove into the heart of the park.

Travis was nervously pacing around the lobby when Annabeth strode in later, his head whipping around and a look of pure relief spreading over his elfish features.

"Oh thank god," he breathed, sharply twisting around to meet her half-way. He came to a pause as he took in her appearance, of her fluffed and loose hair, her dirty and rumpled clothes. Annabeth couldn't care less, raising a challenging eyebrow at him, daring the man to comment. He wisely refrained.

"The center one," Travis said, forking his finger towards the elevators. "The whole building's been warned not to take it."

Annabeth nodded, striding right on by Travis to nimbly punch the 'up' button.

"Okay, thanks, Travis."

"Wait, are you—? Is it safe—?" The man babbled as he watched, eyes wide, as the center elevator's numbers began descending.

The elevator gave a pleasant _ping_ and Travis blanched, taking a step back.

_Thalia's in there too,_ Annabeth's mind reminded her as she set her shoulders and took a preemptive step forward. _It doesn't matter,_ another part rationalized, tendrils of fear and thrill coursing through her veins, _she knows anyway._

Determined and unwilling to lose her nerve, Annabeth already had a foot in the elevator before the doors finished opening.

It was empty.

Annabeth froze, half inside the elevator, twisting around to stare dumbfounded at Travis. She couldn't help the rush of disappointment that filled her, her shoulders dropping.

"They're gone," Travis said in wonder, relief causing _his_ entire body to drop. "Oh thank God—eh?" Travis' phone dinged. "Oh, Connor says they got off on the top floor. Heading into Thalia's office."

"To talk to Zeus," Annabeth deduced with a curt nod of her head, her mind quickly rearranging this new information into a coherent form so she could continue on with her mission.

Check.

"Got it, thank Travis."

"Wait—" the man said, obviously confused, but Annabeth was already hitting the 'close doors' button on the elevator.

The silence of the elevator pressed against her, uncomfortable and stifling as Annabeth rocked back and forth on her heels. The short ride, no longer than half a minute, felt like an eternity. Stepping off the elevator, Annabeth's eyes did a quick sweep of the area; neither Percy nor Thalia were in sight. She frowned, a little irritated at this continued cat and mouse game.

"They're in with Zeus," Connor hissed, guessing who she looked for even if he remained blissfully unaware as to why.

"Oh," Annabeth said, frowning deeper as she turned to suspiciously eye the door to Thalia's office.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously, prowling over to Connor's desk.

"I don't know, I heard Thalia shout something about Percy knowing something."

"Percy knows lots of things," Annabeth said, unimpressed and little defensive. Then, her manager mind coming back online, she asked, "About the dinosaur?"

"Maybe," came the hissed reply.

"Stop cowering under your desk," Annabeth demanded with a roll of her eyes. "It's safe. If Thalia were really angry, trust me you'd know about it."

"What about the giggling?"

Annabeth paused.

"I can't explain that," she admitted, "maybe it's a cousin thing."

"I'm going to stay down here," came the response from somewhere under the desk.

"Enjoy the dust," Annabeth said absently, trying to peer inside Thalia's office.

The sole window was opaqued by a heavy curtain adorned with patterns of skulls. A present from the youngest Olympian cousin if Annabeth remembered correctly. Usually it made her chuckle, but today Annabeth eyed the curtain with great distaste. She could barge in under the pretense of concern. Thalia and Zeus' conversations turned vocal and abusive more often than not after all. It wouldn't be all that odd of a thing to check in on them, Annabeth tried to reason. But the thought fell flat. Not only would Thalia see right through the lies but she didn't know how Percy'd react.

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Annabeth trudged towards her office.

"When Percy gets out, tell him to come see me."

Annabeth sighed, wondering if it was even worth it. Would Percy bolt? Would he stop by? Would the awkwardness be insurmountable? She didn't know and Annabeth hated uncertainty. It's why her and romance usually didn't get along.

It was with a sour mood and a churning stomach that Annabeth walked into her office. She had work to do. She had a park to run, a conspirator to find, a dinosaur to check up on. She needed to move, to spring into action and leave these silly romantic notions for another time. This wasn't what the man in the very next room paid her for.

_Focus_ , she chided herself, sitting down at her desk. There was work to be done. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, the woman herself leaning over her desk for a portfolio when her office door swung open . . . and there Percy was.

He stood in her doorway, face flushed and eyes wide, as if he hadn't actually expected her to be at her desk, or perhaps (and more likely) simply hadn't thought this visit through.

"Percy," she said and for one terrible moment, she thought he was going to bolt.

Instead, one-half of his mouth twisted up in an adorably confused sort of smile, and he wiggled his fingers at her.

"Hi Annabeth," he said, like the utter dork and hopeless Seaweed Brain he was.

And suddenly everything was much, much easier.

"Seaweed Brain."

She grinned as she stood up and Percy closed the door, but stayed awkwardly pressed against it as she boldly walked right on up to him. She took in his uncertain, confused face, those stupidly beautiful wide green eyes set in his stupidly handsome face. She grabbed him by his stupidly perfect jaw and yanked him down to her level, one hand carding back to thread through his hair and his startled eyes filled her vision before she closed her own. And she kissed him. She kissed him like she was drowning and he was the very air she so desperately needed. She kissed him hard and deep, like it was the most important thing she'd ever done.

She damned well thought she kissed him better than any trashy kissing scene in those stupid romcoms Silena loved so much.

And then he was kissing her back, giving as good as he got, and she couldn't think about anything else.

They broke apart only to come back together, her fingernails digging into his scalp and his into her hip as they clashed and broke apart, breaking away just long enough to take quick, desperate gasps of air before crashing back against one another. They fell against each other like the roll of the sea, pulling back and crashing forth, wild and without abandon or care.

When they finally came up for air, Annabeth's hands were still tangled in Percy's hair and curled around the nape of his neck. Her forehead rested against his, nose alongside nose, lips just barely not touching.

Annabeth opened her eyes, eyelashes brushing against Percy's cheeks, and little slivers of green stared down at her. She could feel the smile that graced his lips.

"Hi Annabeth," he repeated in a wondering whisper.

"Seaweed Brain," she huffed in return, but without heat, smiling herself. She could feel his heartbeat thrumming through his chest, too fast but deep and strong and comforting as it drummed around her.

"Stop staring at me like that," she muttered a dozen precious heartbeats later.

"Like what?" Percy murmured, those great eyes staring unblinkingly at her, as if he were almost afraid to close them.

"Like—" like you look at the ocean, at the pull of the tide and the stir of the waves, so grand and indescribably beautiful that you don't even bother trying to put words to it, just stare in wonder and never dare to blink. "That."

Green eyes narrowed to mere slits as he squinted down at her, "Is this better?"

His ridiculousness startled a very unattractive snort out of Annabeth and she decided he deserved a kiss for that.

This one was different from their earlier ones. It was soft and slow, the gentlest of pressure and when it was over Annabeth gave a content sigh. She could have gladly stayed in this heavenly bliss and transcended beyond all her silly, earthly worries if Percy hadn't rudely interrupted her;

"Why'd you run?"

Her first reaction was to tell him not to ruin the moment but she quickly squashed that selfish part of her into oblivion as she opened her eyes. Percy still stared down at her, only this time instead of wonder or adorable puppy dog-like confusion, there was a deeper sort of confusion in those eyes. Uncertainty, doubt—hurt.

Annabeth groaned, wanting to bury her face in Percy's shoulder but valiantly resisting the urge. Percy deserved better than that. And Annabeth knew _better_ than to hide from her problems, dammit.

"Because I was scared," she said simply, surprised by how easily the admission flowed out of her mouth. No bitterness, no waylay of pride.

Percy's brows pulled together.

"Scared? Of what?"

"How did you get this far in life?" Annabeth wondered fondly with a sigh, drawing circles on the back of his neck.

"Thalia and Grover kept me alive mostly," Percy honestly replied.

"Doesn't surprise me," Annabeth said wryly, smiling softly. "But that's not what I mean Seaweed Brain. I mean, how'd you get so far so in life with your goodness and innocence still intact? Haven't you ever had your heart broken?"

"Who broke your heart?" Percy asked hotly, "I'll fight 'em."

Annabeth snorted, stopping her petting for a moment to lightly whack her idiot upside the head. Then she thought about a waste basket full of architectural drawings, a cursor hovering over Intro to Modern Architecture before clicking on Intro to Finance, of towering buildings turning into numbers on a screen and said, " _Me._ "

"Oh," Percy said, face freezing. Then he wrinkled his nose, "I can't fight you any more than I can fight Nico. You two make my life so difficult."

Annabeth stared at him. "I'm sure that made sense in your head."

"It did," Percy confirmed.

"Seaweed Brain."

She let her head fall on his shoulder this time and let his reckless fidgeting sooth her, his body swaying back and forth like waves on the sea.

"I was scared that it'd ruin my perfectly crafted little set up here," Annabeth honestly continued, closing her eyes. "That Thalia would be angry or disapprove. Or if things didn't work out, work would become weird. Or that we are too incompatible, too different and no amount of kisses can change that."

Percy didn't say anything, letting his head rest atop hers.

"You don't ever have to be scared," Percy finally said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Annabeth warned, heart as heavy as a ship lost a sea.

"I don't." Pause. "I'll fight myself."

Annabeth actually choked on air, the joke catching her off guard. She slapped him on the back.

" _Seaweed Brain_."

"Made you laugh didn't it?" Percy asked as she pulled away to glare at him, the infuriating man grinning widely.

"You're an idiot."

"Yes but I'm _your_ idiot," Percy said smugly, teeth gleaming as he wiggled his eyebrows. Then his smile faltered, that beautifully imperfect curve disappearing as he uncertainly asked, "Right?"

" _My_ idiot," she said firmly, leaning forward to fiercely claim what was _hers_ and—

"Annabeth, the—oh for the love of god!"

The door slammed shut with such a force Annabeth's nicely framed license to run the park fell from the wall, clattering noisily to the carpeted floor. Percy blinked at it, head tilted.

"We were quiet about it!" He shouted, much to Annabeth's confusion.

She quickly decided she didn't want to know, focusing instead on the steady stream of vulgarity spewing from her best friend on the other side of the door. She was pretty sure some of those were illegal.

"Maybe that'll teach you to knock," she threw out instead, winking at Percy.

His chest rumbled with suppressed laughter as Thalia swore and cursed in the background.

"She's going to hate us," Percy predicted, shoulders shaking and eyes sparkling.

"Serves her right," Annabeth replied fondly and they giggled together, Annabeth leaning forward to rest her head against his once more.

"Dammit Annabeth!" Thalia shouted as her unconcerned best friend stole a kiss, "Shouldn't you be more concerned about the park right now? The lab just called me, the unidentified dinosaur is dying!"

"What?" Annabeth asked, distracted enough to pull away from Percy.

"It's decaying! Disappearing! Get your ass into high gear and get down there!"

"Decaying?" Annabeth repeated, not understanding. She let go of everything but Percy's hand, dragging him out of the office behind her. "What do you mean _decaying?"_

"What's it sound like?" Thalia asked scathingly, standing with one foot in the elevator, her lips twisted in displeasure and fists clenching and unclenching. "The damn thing is _decaying_ , like it's contracted a flesh-eating disease or something else out of a Steven King novel. Now _come on!_ "

Annabeth didn't wait around to hear anymore, sprinting to the elevator. "Call the lab, clear out the room. I only want head genetics in there. Tell them to try and save it but not to touch it."

"You think I haven't already done that?" Thalia snorted, reaching forward to jerk Percy inside the elevator before sharply stabbing the close doors button.

"Where's Ethan?" Percy demanded but both women hushed him.

"When did this start?"

"One of the lab techs called like, two minutes ago, panicking because the damn thing was literally disappearing. Her monitor bounced readings all around so they sent someone in and found it like that."

"Dammit," Annabeth cursed, breaking into a run the second the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, two Olympians hot on her heels. "What could cause that? Nothing gets into that room that isn't brought in by our technicians. With all the blood work we did, did we miss something?"

"Sabotage," was Thalia's one-word answer.

The midday crowds proved an irritating hindrance in her flight. Deciding to smooth relations over later, Annabeth bodily shoved and elbowed her way through the crowd as she raced to the labs. She could hear Thalia doing the same behind her, Percy's hasty apologies following whatever violent means the eldest Olympian employed to shove her way through. Annabeth decided that too wasn't all that important right now.

"Dammit, why aren't the doors unlocked?" She demanded furiously, panting as she fiercely swiped her card once, twice, three times come on now—and the door slide open. "They knew we were coming."

"Out of the way, back up!" Thalia shouted into the building as Annabeth raced down the hall. "Hey you, I said move it!"

Uncertain and confused lab technicians lined the path, hastily trying to make room as the three came barreling through.

"Miss Chase," Prometheus greeted, holding the door to the raptor's room open.

"What's going on?" She demanded, bypassing all the pleasantries as she skidded into the room, Thalia on her heels. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prometheus raise his hand in warning and her head snapped around, watching him try to keep a furious looking Percy out of the room.

She had a split second to watch the two eye each other with obvious hatred and mistrust, carefully cataloging the information even as she snapped, "He's with me, Prometheus, now _explain._ "

Percy slipped into the room, the door swinging shut behind him, and he came to stand next to Annabeth, head practically on her shoulder. She could feel the smugness radiating off him. She'd smack him about it later, she had more important things to worry about right now.

The infant in the incubator was unrecognizable and the scene that laid inside almost too grotesque to gaze upon. The incubator was stained red, a dark, almost black ooze that darkened the blankets and glass. Anything recognizable about the raptor was gone, utterly eaten away. A few stark white bones poked out from mutilated flesh, muscle and tissue disconnected and seemingly melting away.

"Gross," Percy gagged, turning his head so his nose was buried in Annabeth's neck.

"What the hell?" Thalia hissed, peering over Annabeth's other shoulder.

"Can't you stop it?" Annabeth demanded, whirling on Prometheus. "Save something!"

"I don't know what it is," Prometheus apologetically supplied, his voice terribly calm as he peered into the incubator. If he were disgusted by the sight, his face didn't give the slightest sign. "We can't seem to figure out what's causing it and we dare not open the incubator. Anything we've tried to inject inside the creature didn't work. The very tubes we connected are, well go ahead and look."

Annabeth focused her eyes on the tubes and lines that fed into the incubator. The tubes were filled with some sort of black tar, the ends severed and pushed inside the incubator.

"Whatever is causing it was creeping up the blood we'd extracted so we had no choice but the cut the lines and push them inside to contain whatever it is."

"I don't understand! Nothing showed on its blood work right?" Annabeth asked scathingly.

Prometheus inclined his head, opening his mouth but Annabeth sharply cut him off, not having any use for his soft-spoken words.

"Go get me all the paperwork we have on its blood work," she demanded, turning away in an obvious dismissal. "And bring Dr. Nakamura to me."

"I'm afraid I do not know where Dr—"

"Then find him," Thalia snarled.

"Of course," Prometheus calmly intoned. "Be careful now and don't open the incubator."

With that final warning, Prometheus slid out of the room.

"Jerk," Percy muttered as the door clicked shut.

"It was fine earlier," Percy said in the silence after Prometheus' departure, leaning forward to get a better look at what remained of the creature. Even now as they watched, it decayed further, skin peeling back and even bone itself diminishing.

"Thalia," Annabeth said, watching the incubator with a cold fury. "I want you to go to the labs and stop Prometheus. Get me the blood work yourself in hardcopy—and all other paperwork on the creature. I don't want to give this traitor any more opportunities at sabotage."

"Got it," Thalia promised, sweeping out of the room.

"It wasn't like that when I was here an hour ago," Percy repeated as Thalia slammed the door shut behind her, nodding his head towards the incubator.

"Do you think Ethan did it?" Annabeth had to ask, stomach sinking. She trusted Ethan, stood up for him, put him in charge of her entire—

"No," Percy said firmly, without hesitation. "But I think it'll be easier for us to find out who _did._ They had a short window to act. Everyone inside the building has to key in their ID to gain access, right?"

"Unless someone lets them in."

"Right, in which case they'd still be caught on camera. And somebody'd have to open _this_ door—" Percy forked his finger at the door behind them—"so whoever accessed it after Ethan is our best bet. Even if they didn't do it, they let someone in."

Annabeth blinked.

"You're right, let me call Connor."

She pulled out her phone to make the call, rapidly spitting out instructions as Connor tapped away on the other end.

"Connor's getting all the digital files, hopefully before anyone else can," Annabeth sighed, rubbing her temple before letting her hand fall. She tore her eyes away from the gruesome sight of the raptor's remains to study Percy's profile instead.

"Are you sure it wasn't Ethan?" She had to ask.

"Yes," Percy repeated with conviction . . . only to hesitate. "He brought me in here this morning to look at it. He told me that it was a raptor, like my girls, only built wrong."

"That's what we thought it might be," Annabeth admitted with a frown.

"And he wanted me to talk to you. He was acting funny, but," the words came quickly now, "like he was in trouble not like he was trying to hide something. More like he was trying to _not_ hide something anymore but couldn't tell me either. I think someone might be threatening him. He also tipped me off about Castellan and Global Orthyl remember?"

Annabeth nodded, accepting his analysis. She trusted Percy and in her gut, she trusted Ethan too.

"Then I need you to find him and figure out who," Annabeth said. "And tell him we'll protect him. I always do. Nobody will so much as breath wrong in his direction. Zeus himself will be sure of it."

Percy looked miserable, his eyes downcast and face heavy, "I don't know—I mean I know we'll do everything in our power to protect him but I just don't think he trusts me that much."

"He trusts you more than anyone else," Annabeth firmly assured him, squeezing his fingers. "You're probably the best friend he has, Percy. You brought him out of his shell and made him care enough to maybe even risk his life—if you're right about someone threatening him—to try and help you. You're the only person I know who can make him smile."

"Ethan doesn't smile he just scowls softly," Percy scoffed but he was smiling faintly. He peeked over at her, "You really think so?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "Are you questioning me Perseus Jackson?"

"Never," Percy said with a lopsided. He stared besottedly at her for a moment (and perhaps she stared besottedly right back). "See?" He said, lightly punching her on the shoulder. "Not irreconcilably different. Complimentary. We fit."

"Those are big words for you," Annabeth teased, mostly to try and quell the blush that threatened to heat her cheeks.

"I'm right," he boasted.

"I'd like to think so," Annabeth admitted and the smile that lit up his face put the sun, the moon and even all the stars to shame. "We'll see."

"Is that an invitation to ask you out?" Percy wondered.

"Maybe," she said dryly, " _after_ we have this sorted out. Now shoo, you're distracting me. I have to head back to Connor and go over these files, then sort them out with whatever Thalia finds and hopefully nail this traitor. You go find Ethan."

"Aye-aye Caption," he said with a wink, saluting her in a way that should have been quite similar to the very action Connor frequently made, yet made Annabeth's stomach do silly little flips.

" _Go_ ," she repeated forcefully, pointing towards the door.

"Going," Percy promised and he was barely out the door when Annabeth cried;

"Wait!"

His head popped back in, "What?"

"If someone _is_ threatening Ethan, then—" what would it take to frighten a man like Ethan Nakamura? Annabeth pictured Ethan, silent and strong as night itself. "They're dangerous Percy, whoever they are. Just promise me to actually use your head and be careful."

"I'll be as careful as I can," came the ambiguous and not at all reassuring reply.

"You know what, take Grover with you, or better yet, wait for Thalia—"

"I'll be fine Wise Girl, don't worry about me!" Percy shouted, disappearing from sight.


	24. Chapter 24

_I_ _f_ _I were Ethan, where would I be?_

Percy stood in the middle of his friend's office, which was tucked away in the far reaches of the lab building. Percy hadn't even known it existed until a couple minutes ago. The office had a military orderliness to it, not a speck of dust to be found or a single paper out of place. When he flicked the office light on, it buzzed angrily before reluctantly shining a sickly yellow over the small space, as if Ethan rarely used its circuits. There were a couple tall, metal filing cabinets along one side of the room, a large dark desk in the back. A table was pressed against the opposite wall, a dozen or so meticulously cleaned beakers and vials gleaming in the hazy light.

Percy half-heartedly flicked through the papers on Ethan's desk, equations and gray scale charts flashing by. He felt a little guilty as he pulled open one of the desk draws, feeling like a creeper for invading Ethan's privacy . . . but he wouldn't have to if Ethan was straight up with him so . . . The train of thought didn't make Percy feel any better. An overturned picture frame caught Percy's attention and he reached out for it, his fingers closing around the edge when—

"Percy?"

Percy jumped about a foot in the air, dropping the picture frame in a sick mixture of shock and guilt as he whirled around. Grover stood in the doorway.

"Ah, Annabeth said I could find you here?" Grover said awkwardly, in way of explanation.

"God you scared me," Percy said, exhaling sharply as he relaxed.

"Sorry," his best friend sheepishly apologized, stepping into the room as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it G-man, it's fine . . ." Percy trailed off, fingering the edge of the frame again. "I'm just feelin' like a creep, I guess."

"Because we're snooping through Ethan's stuff?" Grover suggested, stepping forward to lift the first paper off Ethan's desk. He made a face at it, obviously perplexed by the advanced sciencry on the page, before looking back at Percy.

"Yeah," Percy grumbled, sighing heavily.

"Well," Grover said slowly, rocking back and forth on his heels as he gazed at the framed doctorate just above the desk (Percy felt a brief stab of pride, Ethan was so smart). "If I got into some super shady stuff and you came barreling along and crashed in the middle of it, I'd try to protect you too."

Percy cracked a smile, "Thanks, G-man but—"

"But I also _know_ you and wouldn't be upset by your 'snoopy'," Grover drew the word out, his face perfectly conveying that he didn't think Percy was snooping at all, "because I'd know you did it because you were my friend and you want to keep _me_ safe."

Grover clasped Percy on the shoulder, giving his dearest friend half a smile. "It's just what you do dude."

Percy grasped Grover's shoulder in return and they stood facing each other.

"Does that give me permission to—?"

"No."

"You didn't even let me—"

"I don't have to, remember, I _know_ you."

Percy snorted and they grinned ridiculously at each other.

"Whatever man," Percy said, bumping Grover with his hip. With a lighter heart, he reached forward and flipped the picture frame over.

Grover peered curiously over his shoulder as they both stared down at the picture. Ethan stood center right in the frame, looking oddly naked bereaved of his lab coat. Evenly more startling, his lips were minutely quirked up, chin held high as he gazed purposefully at the camera. Percy could practically feel the pride and honor that obviously radiated from Ethan's very being. The doctorate that now hung over the desk before his friends rested in picture-Ethan's hands. Half behind Ethan stood a Japanese woman of about middle age. She appeared severe, her pitch black hair pulled into a tight bun and dressed sharply in a three-piece suit, hands clasped behind her back. There was a roundness in her cheeks that starkly contrasted her otherwise stern and professional appearance.

"Is that his mom?" Grover asked, squinting at the photo.

"Grover," Percy said, ignoring the question as his throat constricted. "His eyes."

"What about his eyes?"

"They're both _there_."

Grover stared at Percy for a moment before gasping softly, head whipping around to ogle at the photo where _two_ black eyes gazed proudly out of Ethan's pale face.

"He barely looks any younger here, when was this taken? A year ago? Two, tops?"

"Not even two," Grover said, pointing at the graduation date on the degree beside them.

"What _happened?_ " Percy wondered in horror.

Grover made a noise, not quite his nervous bleat yet not quite a nervous laugh.

"Did you ever ask?"

"No," Percy snorted, giving Grover a look. "I'm not that stupid."

Grover laughed a little, turning away from the photo to quickly glance around the room, rocking on his heels. "So, I don't know what exactly we're looking for here Perce. Annabeth told me that Ethan was in trouble and someone might be threatening him but that's all I got."

"That's really I got too," Percy said apologetically with a shrug, letting his eyes linger on Ethan's happy, eyepatch-less face for a moment longer. "It has something to do with the dinosaur."

"I don't wanna be that guy but have you thought that maybe—?"

"No, I trust Ethan," Percy said firmly.

Grover held his hands up, "Just checking, but hey if you're sure, I'm sure. I like Ethan. So, what now?"

"I don't think anything in here will help us," Percy admitted, stepping away from the desk. "But I don't know where else he'd go."

"His apartment?" Grover suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Percy wondered. "I have no idea where he lives does that make me a bad friend?"

"Do you know where Beckendorf lives?"

" . . . On the island?"

"Then no."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Connor's sending me Ethan's address right now," Percy said, feet braced against the dashboard of Grover's car, pressing his heels into the hot plastic as the car jostled. "He thinks Ethan lives in the Cretaceous Apartments but he's checking to be sure."

Grover nodded noncommittally from the driver seat. He chewed on his lip for a moment, the movement catching Percy's eye. Percy lowered his phone, frowning.

"What?"

"Nothing just . . . What's the plan?" Grover asked. "Are you just going to barge in and demand he tell you what's going on?"

"Sounds like a plan," Percy agreed casually.

Grover took his eyes off the road long enough to give Percy an exasperated look.

"O-okay or maybe not? I don't know G-man, I don't have any real plan. I'm just going to talk to him, tell him what we know. Tell him what we think and make sure he knows we're not mad."

"Aren't we?" Grover asked.

"No, we're not!" Percy hotly objected, scowling. "What have we to be angry about, Ethan's done nothing wrong."

Grover held a hand up, cutting Percy off.

"I'm just saying Perce . . . Maybe you won't like what he has to say," Grover warned. "What if he plays a bigger part in this than you think?"

Percy squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, scowling. "He didn't."

Grover heaved a great sigh. "I know it might be hard for you to believe Perce," he began kindly, "because you like to think the best of the people you care about. When it comes to your friends and Thalia and them, you sometimes just don't see when they're going astray. It's kind of a blind spot actually."

"What's wrong with defending the people I love?" Percy asked hotly, drawing back in offense.

"Nothing Perce," Grover sighed, sounding exhausted. "Usually. But it does blind you."

Percy sat back in his chair, pensive. He watched the trees blur by, green and black.

"I trust Ethan," Percy muttered.

"I know, that's why I want you to think about it," Grover said gently. "Because I know how much a betrayal would hurt you."

"I'll think about it," Percy muttered, his stomach churning unpleasantly but he couldn't direct his anger at Grover, not when his friend was obviously so worried about him.

"Uh, were we expecting company today?" Grover asked in confusion, drawing Percy out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" He asked, squinting against the sun at the figures ambling lazily around his paddock. Luke stood at the helm of the mess, his pale face evil in the brightness of the day.

They were doing a quick pitstop at the paddock. Not out of any vain hope to find Ethan milling around there, but because they needed to feed the girls before they found their wayward scientist. The girls wouldn't like it if they missed a meal . . . and that was putting it mildly.

Luke stood at the edge of the paddock, his pale face evil in the brightness of the day.

"Damn him!" Percy exclaimed angrily, throwing open the door before Grover even put the car in park. Slamming the door shut and ignoring Grover's sputtering, he prowled forward, teeth bared.

"I remember kicking you out!" He shouted, glad to have an outlet for his worry and aggression. "Dammit, stop that you're agitating them!"

His last shout was directed at one of the bulky men milling around the electric fence. Behind the buzzing bars, Juno snapped her jaw, cawing a furious warning. Her claws were fully extended, feathers ruffled. Percy's eyes swiveled to the rest of his girls. Minerva made no other sound, eyes fixed on the closest man. Ceres looked to her alpha, still and lethal as she held his gaze.

"Oh, agitating them are we?"

It wasn't Luke who spoke. Percy frowned, tearing his eyes away from Ceres to land on the man at Luke's side. Percy hadn't given him any consideration before but he took the time to now as Grover appeared at his elbow.

The stranger was tall and broad, old, older than Poseidon, yet he radiated power and the idea that he may be frail or feeble was laughable. Percy was briefly reminded of Zeus, who could walk into a room and fill it with his presence. But this was different. The hairs on the back of Percy's neck stood on end, and his unease doubled as the man gave a crooked smile.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded, caught off guard.

"A great many things," the stranger replied, his eyes gleaming with dark mirth. He half turned, shifting those unnerving eyes to Percy's paddock. "The raptors have gotten bigger. Not quite as large as I expected, I admit."

Percy stepped directly into the man's line of sight, determined to block those cold eyes from his girls.

"Go see the T-Rex if you want a big dinosaur," he said shortly, eyes flickering over to Luke. Oddly enough, Luke didn't meet his eyes, choosing instead to peer around Percy's shoulder, blank-faced, at the paddock behind the raptor trainer.

Percy decided to ignore that, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at the man who still had yet to identify himself.

"I don't care what great many things you are," he said shortly. "You need to leave. This is my paddock and your—" he paused, baring his teeth at the closest bulky stranger—" _people_ are upsetting my girls. Go, beat it!"

"I'm sorry," the man said smoothly, waving a hand at the men milling around. The men froze in their places. It was kind of eerie actually, like they were robotic soldiers that could be turned on and off with a wave of their boss' hand. "We seem to be getting off on the wrong foot. My name is Kronos, I own Global Orthyl. I just wanted to touch base, to chat, with the raptor trainer who I've heard so much about."

Percy warily eyed the man. "You _own_ Global Orthyl."

Percy glanced over at Grover, who gave a confused shrug, obviously as thrown as the raptor trainer. Alarm bells were still ringing in Percy's head; Ethan _had_ warned him about Global Orthyl right?

The man, Kronos apparently, gave another crooked smile.

"Yes," he said, and it looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he closed his mouth with that odd smile, turning to his men. "You heard the man, move back and away from the paddock. You're _upsetting the girls._ "

The bulky men turned back on, putting distances between themselves and the paddock. Diane gave a triumphal shriek, as if it were for fear of her the men moved away. Percy couldn't help giving her a fond look over his shoulder. What a dork. She held her head high, preening. _Look at me Alpha, I'm big and scary too._

Kronos had a peculiar look on his face when Percy turned back, but he offered no more than the same crooked smile, holding an arm out.

"Shall we walk by your paddock while we chat?"

"Alright," Percy said, eyes flickering back over to Grover, who was nervously chewing on his fingernails, then to Luke, who must have thought the ground was the most interesting thing in all the world for all the intensity he gazed down upon it.

Strange.

Percy fell into step with the dark, apparent owner of Global Orthyl, trying to pretend like the man's long strides weren't a little difficult to keep up with. Kronos clasped his hands behind his back, gazing serenely at Percy's girls. Juno prowled near the edge, her pace aligned with theirs. Ceres trailed behind, her eyes fixed on Percy.

"Beautiful," Kronos declared, and his eyes crinkled as he spoke.

"Yeah, ah, thanks," Percy said, eyeing the man with no small amount of distrust. "I don't mean to sound rude—"

"But you're going to anyway?" Kronos guessed with a smirk, eyebrow raised.

"Well," Percy hesitated. "Yeah I guess."

Kronos gave a heartfelt laugh, deep and rumbling. "You shall not offend me, young one."

"'M twenty-five," Percy grumbled under his breath, but plowed on before Kronos' other eyebrow could join its twin. "Castellan was furious, like literarily just this morning, and even though I kicked him out of my paddock—" _more or less_ "—he's back, with a couple giants and his boss."

Kronos' shoulders shook slightly as he chuckled. Behind the electronic bars, Juno barred her teeth.

"It's suspicious," Kronos voiced for him.

"Yeah, really suspicious," Percy said, narrowing his eyes in, well, suspicion. One of the girls growled in the background.

"I am sorry about that," Kronos said, still chuckling. "That was not my intent. Luke can be . . . a bit passionate about this. And, if you knew his story, you would understand. Here, allow me to explain, to give Global Orthyl's side of the story, and perhaps you can empathize."

Kronos' face was clear as he waited for Percy's response. Percy glanced over at Luke, who was still avidly staring at the ground. He looked sad actually, not like the emotion, not as in Luke himself was sad, but the figure he cut was sad. Downtrodden.

Percy pursed his lips.

"Alright," he said warily. "What happened to Luke?"

Kronos clicked his tongue, watching Juno prowl the edge of her territory. "Luke is merely one of many," he said slowly, his deep voice almost hypnotic in its steady, slow rhythm. "The latest in a long line of travesties that Global Orthyl seeks retribution for. But first, let's talk about poor Luke."

"He's not terribly much older than yourself you know. He was born in New York to a single mother with a low income, and had the misfortune of having a, well, to put it crudely in a vernacular I think you'd enjoy, a deadbeat father."

Percy crossed his arms, resolving not to squirm, or worse, sympathize. It wasn't a very unusual beginning, he tried to convince himself, the fact that Luke's story lined up pretty well with Percy's own really wasn't all that uncommon . . . right?

"Luke's father, Hermes, a name I'm sure you're not very familiar with even if the police of New York are, quite intimately, was hardly ever around. Luke's poor mother tried desperately to provide for her poor child, but alas, perhaps due to the strain of her own dismal situation, her mental health declined. I'm afraid that by the time Luke was six his mother was only there in body, and very much lost in mind."

Percy grimaced, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder at the blonde man behind them. "Are you sure it's appropriate to tell me this—?"

"It's important," Kronos pressed, his eyes burning bright as he clasped a heavy hand on Percy's shoulder. Percy tried not to jump. Ceres shrieked in displeasure, cawing angrily at the man who dared put a hand on her alpha, while Juno hissed.

Percy ignored both of them, frowning at Kronos.

"Can you imagine?" Kronos said, and though he lowered his voice Percy didn't think calling it a whisper would be appropriate; Kronos' voice was strong and steady. "Luke, poor little Luke Castellan at six-years-old, barely more than a baby, sitting at the kitchen table while his mother stared right through him, talking to people who weren't even there, with a father an entire ocean apart?"

"Again, personal, I don't think—"

"His father visited from time to time, sent enough money to keep Luke and his poor, poor mother alive, but left his son there, under the attention of a mindless mother, and ignored his poor child's suffering. Can't blame the boy for wanting to get away. He tried his hardest to take care of his poor mother, from six up to sixteen. Hardly had a childhood at all; a man in a child's body. Soon as he saved up the money, Luke had his mother put in a home, a nice, safe home where people who were actually _qualified_ to take care of her could. And then he, at the tender age of sixteen, forged papers to join the army."

"I don't think anybody truly anticipates what's in store for them once they enlist," Kronos mused, his hand squeezing Percy's shoulder tight. "And poor Luke, who joined the army to avoid being subjected to his father's indifference, who thought the army would offer him all that he never had before: a purpose, a _family_. After a year of training, he was put on active duty. His third day out, he came up on the wrong side of a shrapnel bomb, the shadow of which you have undoubtedly seen on his face."

Kronos looked over his shoulder. Percy stared at the ground, wincing.

"I really don't see how this pertains to the raptors—"

"That's where I found him—"

"Not that you care apparently, okay—"

"Pray, young man, just listen, it will all make sense," Kronos said exasperatedly, looking down at the girls like _what a stupid Alpha you have_. Which, full offense taken, only Annabeth was allowed to do that.

"That's where I found him," Kronos rejoined. "In a medical tent, metal embedded in his skin, face irreparably marred. Poor child. I pitied him. But all was not lost to Luke then, who still had hopes for his future, who still thought he could be _great—_ when Hermes decided to horrendously, callously, cruelly, wreck all he had left: hope. Hermes revealed Luke's true age to the army, and Luke was turned out with a dishonorable discharge. The agony, I'm sure you cannot imagine. He lost everything, his purpose, his hopes, his very will to live. Gone."

"I could not let this poor child go home to his tyrannical father," Kronos said bracingly, "so I took home with me instead. I took Hermes to court, who granted Luke full emancipation, and Luke came with me to work for Global Orthyl, where he could work to make the world a _better_ place. The miracles of gene splicing, the revival of near existent species, truly marvelous and worthy endeavors."

Kronos' face shone, eyes brighter than lightning.

"That's . . . okay," Percy said. "I mean, good for Luke, but what the hell does that have to with my girls?"

Kronos rose an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?"

Percy stared at him, then at Juno, then back at Kronos.

"No, not even in the slightest bit."

Kronos heaved a great sigh. "I hoped you would make the connection on your own, my boy. I hate to do this to you, truly, but sometimes when one lives in the dark, it takes someone in the light to bring them out: Zeus Olympian was Hermes' boss."

"Lightning Inc. is the third largest company in the world," Percy said, unimpressed. "You can't throw a stone in New York without hitting three people who work for him, so what?"

"Hermes was _personally employed_ by Zeus Olympian," Kronos said irritably, as if Percy were being purposefully obtuse. "And May Castellan, Luke's mother. I'm not sure how much you know about your uncle's ascent to power, but surely the situation of your cousins should give you some clue."

"Excuse you," Percy said hotly but Kronos waved a giant hand.

"Zeus' company was a fledgling at the time of Luke's childhood! Luke is only a year older than Thalia herself, and you of all people know what their living was like when she was six."

Percy bristled. "Now listen here, you leave—"

"Forget your cousin, this isn't about her," Kronos dismissed. "Your uncle _knew_ the trouble the Castellans were in, _knew_ that he dragged Hermes away from his family. Even more, he didn't care! He sent Hermes here and there and kept him away from home."

"You said Hermes didn't care about Luke," Percy said skeptically, "but now it's Zeus' fault?"

"Hermes didn't care," Kronos agreed. "But Zeus knew he had a son at home yet didn't think it strange Hermes was never there?"

"How do you know he knew?" Percy asked doubtfully. "And Uncle Zeus of all people knows what parents sometimes have to do to feed their children."

"Even if he _knew_ that child was being _neglected_ , just like your cousin once was?" Kronos asked, one eyebrow raising.

Percy hesitated.

He couldn't imagine the world Kronos painted. All he could see was Thalia, fourteen years old and trying not to show how uncomfortable she was in her designer jeans. Thalia, still getting used to having enough food to eat, and having it every night, having warm clothes and a safe place to call home. He remembered Zeus keeping her close, never letting her out of his sight. For all his faults, Percy knew Zeus loved Thalia, worried incessantly about her. He heard Poseidon complaining before, in quiet tones with his older, solemn brother Hades, about Zeus blindness; his inability to see anything but a perfect future for his daughter.

"Zeus had his own problems," Percy said slowly. "It doesn't excuse anything, but if Hermes was neglecting Luke, Zeus just didn't notice. He really didn't notice anything other than Thalia back then. My mom said Zeus is so obsessed with his work because he never wants his family to feel poverty again, never wants to be helpless again. Besides, even at its smallest, I doubt Zeus knew everyone who worked for him. He isn't a personal guy."

"And May's insanity?" Kronos said, his voice close to a sneer.

"You said Hermes covered that up, how was anybody supposed to know?" Percy asked, crossing his arms. "All Zeus knew was that Luke lived with his mother. Hardly a red flag for abuse."

Kronos sighed heavily. "And what if I told you Zeus backed Hermes in the courts, when I fought for Luke's emancipation. That he provided and paid for the best lawyers money could buy to try and sway the court's favor. What if I told you . . . " he paused dramatically, locking his eyes on Percy's. "That Poseidon Olympian took the stand in defense of Hermes' character?"

Percy couldn't help but flinch at that.

"That your uncle and your _father_ tried, ardently, to get an abused and neglected son back to his abuser?" Kronos' words were harsh. "Luke, who sat before them with his freshly scarred face, whose mother could not be called in because she was raving mad. Luke, who didn't even want money or retribution. Luke, who just wanted to be _free._ Your father stood behind Hermes."

Percy's hands curled into fists.

"I—" he stammered.

Kronos' eyes burned; Percy looked away but the figure at the edge of the paddock caught his eye and he found himself staring at Luke, and that wasn't any better. His throat closed.

"What the hell does this have to do with my girls?" He demanded thickly, staring at the ground.

"The raptors in particular? Very little," Kronos admitted, sounding quite cheerful. "It's more to do with Lightning Inc., really, and those who run it. See, nobody cared about poor Luke, and we fought tooth and nail for his freedom and won it by the skin of our teeth. But did anybody care? No. Nobody cared, nobody took notice. Your uncle and father continue about their lives, and nobody pays for all the destruction in their wake."

Percy frowned, his stomach churning. A voice, rather like Annabeth's and a little like Thalia's, reminded him the world was hardly painted in black and white. Things were never as simple as they appeared. Surely . . . surely there had to be a reason? Even Zeus, as ruthless a businessman as he was, was hardly heartless. He cared, even if he never like to admit it. He donated to charities, hell he _started_ charities. He loved Thalia. In his own special way, he loved his brothers as well. And Poseidon, who undoubtedly had faults (God, did Percy of all people know that), but always made sure to send Sally checks in the mail. Who always called when Percy was hurt. Who picked up Thalia and Nico and brought them to Percy from time to time.

"I can talk to them," Percy said earnestly. "I don't know what happened, but I can find out."

Kronos frowned down at him.

"Whatever for?"

"To figure out what happened," Percy said slowly, eyebrows raised. Honestly, he thought _he_ was being the obvious one now.

"I just told you what happened."

"Well, yeah but they can explain their side of things, and maybe they didn't know and they can get Hermes—"

"How do you know they won't lie to you?" Kronos demanded.

Percy blinked up at him. "How do I know you're not lying to me?" Percy asked.

He hadn't meant the question seriously, using it only to prove a point, but a shadow flickered over Kronos' face and suddenly he was less sure.

"Nothing I said was a lie, you can prove that for yourself," Kronos said through a crooked smile.

"Yeah, maybe," Percy agreed. "But that doesn't mean it's the whole truth either."

Kronos chuckled under his breath. "Oh you Olympians," Kronos muttered, eyes darkly shining.

Percy didn't like the look, and he was reminded once more of his discomfort with the man's presence, and Ethan's warning came back to mind, and all the strange things that had happened on the island.

"If it had very little to do with my girls, why do you want me in the paddock?" Percy demanded.

"To prove a point," Kronos huffed, still chuckling.

Percy waited.

"To prove _what_ point?" He demanded irritably. "I don't understand any of this, what is the damn point to all of this—the only thing that would happen if I got back in that paddock would be a trip to the hospital!"

Kronos nodded his head to the side.

"Oh my god, you want me in the hospital," Percy realized.

"I want to prove Jurassic World's incompetence and have the park shut down," Kronos admitted frankly. "They've done a much better job at controlling the animals than I could have ever imagined. No fatalities in years, very few wrongful death lawsuits. I thought perhaps the introduction of a less controllable, more intelligent predator could change that."

"You _want_ me in the hospital," Percy repeated, like one of his mother's old broken records.

"If it came to that," Kronos agreed amiably. "I'm not picky. Personally, I was hoping the animals would get loose. The last park couldn't keep them contained after all."

"The fence gave out," Percy said, feeling sick.

"Yes, but they didn't have the raptors for long," Kronos mused, squatting down so he was at eye-level with Juno. He smiled at her, his grin widening as Percy's best girl snarled, her teeth bloodstained.

_She must have just ate_ , Percy thought, and while he had gotten used to the sight, in that moment, he found it horrific.

"Velociraptors are supposed to be the most intelligent animals to have ever lived, next to humans of course," Kronos mused. "I thought they'd have killed someone by now. Or figured out the lock system."

_They have,_ Percy thought. They knew how the doors opened, how the fence worked. They just listened to Percy and didn't try to escape. With a chill, Percy suddenly wondered if Kronos was right; _could_ they escape, if they ever actually wanted to?

He shook the thought away.

"Get out of my paddock," Percy demanded.

"Excuse me?" Kronos asked, sounding amused as he looked up.

"I said get out," Percy repeated. "You're not welcomed here." _You're crazy._ "It doesn't matter what my father or Zeus may have done, taking it out on my girls isn't fair."

"You won't even consider it?" Kronos asked lightly.

"Consider what?" Percy demanded explosively, throwing his arms in the air. "Purposefully maiming myself? _Setting a pack of velociraptors on the loose?_ Hell no. You're insane. Absolutely insane. Leave."

Kronos sighed, pushing himself back to his feet. He pretended to dust off his jacket, looking largely disinterested.

"I didn't want to have to do this but," Kronos said, clicking his tongue.

"Do what?" Percy asked, but a moment later he heard Grover cry out.

"Hey what are you—? _Let him go!_ " Percy shouted, horrified as two of Kronos' giants all but tackled his best friend to the ground.

Percy hadn't taken more than three steps forward in an attempt to run to his friend's defense when he himself was detained.

"Let me go!" He furiously demanded, thrashing and kicking out against his assailant.

He almost broke free of Kronos' grasp when two more of the goons stalked up, helping the madman keep Percy down.

"Let me go!" Percy shouted again, cold with hatred and angry. He heard Grover whimper and his vision went red. "I swear, if you hurt him—"

"You'll what?" Kronos sounded amused.

He let the two minions keep hold of Percy, moving around so he stood in front of the furious trainer. In the background, the raptors raised a cacophony, shrieking and cawing in a furious song. Percy breathed heavily, glaring up at Kronos' smirking face.

"I think you should reconsider," Kronos suggested lightly.

"Go to hell," Percy spat back.

"Now that's hardly a winning attitude, don't you think Luke?" Kronos asked, turning to the blond man.

Percy turned to glower at Luke. Any pity he might have felt earlier was utterly obliterated. God, how could he be so stupid? The minions pressed him down into the dirt and Percy grunted, his knees painfully giving way as he collided with the ground.

Luke's face was pale and his lips twitched. He licked them. Closed his mouth.

"You don't have to get hurt," Luke said, and his voice was almost painfully earnest. "We just need to prove Jurassic World's incompetence."

"Do you hear yourself?" Percy demanded. "What do you want me to do Luke? Set the girls loose in the park? Risk them hunting other dinosaurs, _hunting people_? They're animals, they don't understand. We're just food to them, and if they feel threatened, they'll attack. If they get out, they aren't going down without a fight, and they'll take people out with them."

Luke frowned, a shadow over his face. "Nobody has to get hurt. They'll just ruin some equipment, scare some people—"

"People will die!" Percy shouted in disbelief. "People will die Luke!"

"You have guards, people on watch. If the raptors get loose they won't hesitate to shoot to kill," Luke denied.

"You've seen them hunt, if they get out, people won't see them coming," Percy pressed, feeling sick, his heart pounding. He could hear the girls shrieking in the background and each call cut into his heart. He couldn't imagine not waking up to that sound. Couldn't imagine his girls lying dead in a pool of blood. "And if they do, then you'll just get my girls killed. What'd they do to deserve that? They're just trying to survive. You'll be signing their death certificate if you set them loose."

"A small sacrifice for something that shouldn't even exist," Kronos said smoothly and Percy whirled on him, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't do that to my girls," Percy said. "Don't you dare. You claim to care so much about innocence but you're using other people as pawns."

"They're raptors," Kronos sounded exasperated.

"We don't have to set them loose," Luke scolded, shooting Kronos a look.

"So what, you're not putting me in the paddock, you're not setting them loose, then what are you going to do?" Percy demanded. "Let me talk to Zeus—"

Luke's face convulsed at the name, the uncertain but earnest look faded, twisting into pure hatred.

"That asshole's ruined my life enough," Luke snarled.

"That's right," Kronos crooned, reaching out to lay a hand on Luke's shoulder. "He ruined your life. And he needs to pay."

"Wait just a—"

"You need to get back in the paddock," Luke said.

"You literally just said you didn't want me to get hurt—"

A punch to Percy's gut silenced the rest of his sentence. Percy gasped, not quite able to take in air as gaped up at the men in disbelief. He sucked in half a breath, winded, then another, too surprised to properly feel the blow.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Grover's too high voice protested. "Percy!"

"I'm okay," Percy finally gasped, getting his breath back. "I'm okay."

"Krios," Luke scolded sharply, looking about as surprised as Percy felt as he glared at the goon that attacked Percy.

"Have you changed your mind?" Kronos asked lazily.

"You're insane," Percy repeated, which earned him a kick in the stomach from, what had Luke called him, Krios? Percy decided it didn't quite matter. He tried to curl into himself but the other goon held him tight and Percy grunted as the hard foot collided with his soft unprotected stomach.

Luke stepped forward as though to intervene but Kronos reached a lazy hand out, putting it across Luke's chest. Luke froze, his eyes on Percy.

"Stop," Grover pleaded in the background. "Leave him alone."

"I'll admit I'm impressed," Kronos drawled as the next blow came to Percy's unprotected face. "You hold yourself together almost as well as Nakamura."

Percy froze, staring up at the man in horror.

"Ethan?" He gasped, the coppery tang of blood sharp in his mouth. He swallowed it back. "What did you do to him? Where is he?"

Percy hated the smirk on Kronos' stupid, smug face. Hated it more than he ever hated Luke's. Percy fought against the arms holding him, teeth bared and growling in an almost animalistic manner. The girls shrilly echoed his fury.

"Where is Ethan?" He demanded again, but Kronos waved his hand and all Percy got was another punch to the gut.

"I don't think this'll work," Kronos mused as Percy gasped for breath but valiantly refrained from crying out.

"The thought of poor traitorous Ethan seems to excite him," Kronos mused, half turning to Luke. "Perhaps he would be more reasonable if we chatted with his other friend."

Kronos motioned over his shoulder and the goons pinning Grover down dragged Percy's friend to his feet.

"Don't you dare!" Percy cried, violently thrashing around in a desperate attempt to get free. "Don't you dare touch him!"

"Kronos," Luke hissed, "this is—"

"We could be dissuaded of course if you would reconsider," Kronos said, speaking over Luke, and then as one, everyone froze.

A car barreled down the paddock road.

Kronos stared at it, his expression frozen. Luke almost looked relieved.

Percy spat blood onto the ground, glaring up at Kronos. "You're in trouble now," he promised darkly.

"Who is it?" Kronos demanded to Luke.

"It looks like one of the guard vehicles," Luke supplied and the relief was blatant on his face. Kronos scowled, his face twisting darkly.

"Dammit," Kronos snarled. "No, not now. Not—"

"Looks like your plan's ruined," Percy sneered.

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say. Kronos lurched forward suddenly, cold fingers wrapping bruisingly around Percy's arm as he tore Percy from the goons' grasp and yanked the trainer to his feet.

"Hey!" Percy cried, twisting and kicking out but Kronos seemed like a man possessed, his grip iron tight on the struggling trainer.

Now Percy wasn't exactly a small guy, nor a weak one, and although Kronos huffed a little, he still managed to bodily drag Percy towards the paddock doors. Percy spared a moment to just be grateful he apparently was leaving Grover alone, and that _somebody_ was coming to put an end to this _madness_. Kronos dragged Percy right up to the outer paddock door, thrusting Percy forward so his face was level with the entrance pad. His girls followed their procession, snapping their jaws and shrieking furiously.

"Where's your ID?" Kronos demanded harshly, shaking Percy like he was no more than a rag doll. "Open the door."

Percy's teeth clattered together. He tried to keep his jaw firmly shut, afraid of biting his own tongue off. Juno stood just outside the second set of door, her claws hovering above the door, jaw parted so the sun could shine off her bloodied teeth. Poised. Ready to kill.

"No." Percy stubbornly refused, out of nothing but pure spite. Kronos could very well shake Percy down until he found the trainer's ID; the first set of doors merely open by swiping it. But the codes to the second door were safely tucked away in Percy's head, and no amount of threats could get those out of him.

Not that Kronos had the time to try—and Kronos knew it.

He snarled furious, pushing Percy against the paddock door. As his head collided with the cold bars, Percy spared a moment to be fervently grateful the outer door wasn't electric. Kronos' face twisted in pure rage; Percy bared his teeth, imaging he rather looked like Juno with his own bloodied teeth.

"What's going on here? Let go of him!"

Kronos' black eyes never wavered from Percy's.

"Where's Ethan?" Percy demanded.

"Hey, did you hear me, I said _let him go._ I _will_ shoot you."

Kronos peered over his shoulder. Reyna stalked menacingly towards them, gun drawn and pointed unwaveringly at Kronos. Behind her, Beckendorf, just as large and imposing as Kronos' own men, made a beeline for Grover. Luke hissed something and the men let go of Grover, Percy's poor best friend stumbling forward. Beckendorf caught him, trying to push the shaken man behind him.

"Percy," Grover said, unsteadily pushing Beckendorf's hands away as he tried to stumble towards Percy.

"She said let go—" Beckendorf started to say, but Reyna's calculating eyes narrowed and a second later, the fence next to Percy sparked, a bright explosion of yellow and red, as she fired a warning shot.

"Do you think I'm kidding? Drop him."

Kronos didn't seem particularly alarmed by the shot but he did let Percy go, taking a slow step backward.

Grover apparently had a lot of confidence in Reyna's aim because he darted forward and, before Percy could do anything about it, was dragging his best friend away from Kronos.

"He's crazy," Grover said sharply, and Percy was willing to bet his eyes were as crazy as Percy's were furious.

"Let me go," Percy said darkly as Kronos watched with dark eyes.

"Oh God no," Grover scoffed, pushing Percy behind Reyna and her steady gun.

Kronos' goons flanked the stiffly held man. Reyna's eyes flickered to them, her mouth twisting down but gun steady.

"We could hear the girls crying from halfway across the island, thought we'd join the party. Who are these guys?" Beckendorf asked easily, stepping up to Reyna's side.

"Global Orthyl."

"That means nothing to me," Reyna said shortly. "Alright, you're coming with me."

Kronos stared at Reyna, one eyebrow slowly rising, and a slow, rumbling chuckle broke from between his lips.

"Oh, and how do you hope to do that sweetheart?" He asked, half turning and suddenly they were staring, unhappily, down a barrel of Kronos' own gun.

"Hm." Beckendorf said, his low voice oddly calm despite their circumstance. "It seems we are at an impasse."

"I can shoot faster," Reyna said.

"Let's not test that," Beckendorf suggested lightly, holding his arms out in peace. "I'm sure we're all great shots."

" _I am faster._ "

"So why don't we," Beckendorf said, raising his voice to cover up Reyna's, "just be going then."

"So you can bring all your little guards back?" Kronos asked, laughing sharply.

"Or I could just let Reyna shoot you," Beckendorf said amiably. "If you're so confident in yourself. I'm sure she won't aim anywhere fatal, and if she does, well then, it's a good thing we're the only ones here isn't it?"

Reyna titled her head up determinedly, mouth twisting unpleasantly. Kronos pursed his lips, watching the woman with a thoughtful expression.

"Tell Daddy-dearest your new look is courtesy of Kronos," Kronos said, meeting Percy's eyes over Reyna's shoulder.

Grover threw both arms around Percy in an attempt to restrain the furious man. Beckendorf put a hand on Percy's shoulder, which honestly was about a hundred times more effective. Grover probably weighed as much as that hand.

"Where's Ethan?" Percy demanded.

"We'll be going then," Beckendorf said, then under his breath, "Grover get a hold of him, or I swear I will throw him over my shoulder and carry him away. Come on now, to the car. Reyna—"

"You should just let me shoot him," Reyna grumbled but she started walking backwards.

"Percy," Grove hissed, trying to pull the stubborn trainer back.

"He's not going to stay in my paddock while I leave," Percy said darkly.

"He doesn't have the codes to open the door, we'll be back," Grover said desperately.

"Jackson, I will carry you," Beckendorf threatened softly. "And if he shoots us, I'll let Reyna shoot you." Then, even softer, "We're not abandoning your girl but he's got a gun, Percy. Would you risk him shooting one of us?"

Percy finally broke away from Kronos' black eyes to glance over at Beckendorf, whose face was solemn but bereaved of anything malicious. No, he couldn't risk that but . . .

"He has Ethan," Percy said helplessly.

"We'll get him back," Beckendorf promised. "But right now, worry about us."

Percy let Grover pull him backward. Kronos looked disappointed but the gun Reyna had trained on his chest kept him in place.

"You have nowhere to go," Reyna said as Grover shoved Percy into the back of her car. "And we'll be back."

Kronos' laugh didn't sound human, the sound terrible and cold. "Why would I want to go anywhere else, my dear child? Come back. I'll be here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of you so much <33


	25. Chapter 25

The flecks of mud that jumped from Thalia's spiked boots scattered across Annabeth's impeccable desk but for once, Annabeth found she couldn't care less. Thalia herself sat behind the dark desk, lips twisted unhappily, legs firmly propped against the polished wood as she flipped through the scavenged bloodwork.

"Shit's missing."

Annabeth, moderately perched at her friend's side bending over her own copies of science jargon, looked up with a frown. Thalia continued her thought, turning the page over in her hands.

"Like someone tried to delete something before I got to it. Prometheus sure didn't seem happy when he learned I was printing them out."

"Which one's Prometheus?" Zeus asked with a frown, pacing before the desk in agitation.

Annabeth fought the urge to sigh, and fought even harder against the urge to remind Zeus he had his own, perfectly good, office right next door. She doubted it would go over well.

Thalia started to sneer, dark eyes flickering up so Annabeth smoothly interrupted, "A geneticist, he's worked for Jurassic World for almost five years, he was here before I even was."

Zeus scowled harder, opening his mouth to say more when the door to the office suddenly flung open.

"Oh, look who _finally_ decided to show up," Thalia sneered as the form of Poseidon Olympian appeared.

"Where's Percy?" Poseidon asked as if Thalia hadn't even spoken, striding into the room.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"He's doing his job," Annabeth interrupted, although her voice was just as icy as Thalia's. She felt her best friend shift, her muddy boots smearing across the desk, so her shoulder rested against Annabeth's.

Poseidon's eyes barely even flickered over to Annabeth. She wished he would've met her eyes so she could impart the full level of her ire into his false ones. Poseidon's eyes lacked all the honeyed warmth that lurked in Percy's; they were cool, distant. If Percy's eyes were like the waves of the ocean, bright and exciting, constantly changing and beautiful to watch, than Poseidon's were like the depths; abysmal and dangerous.

"He was supposed to meet me for lunch."

"That's nice Poseidon," Zeus said, his voice low and scathing, "but unlike _somebody_ we actually have jobs—"

"Oh, please, save me the lecture, I don't think I could stand the irony," Poseidon scoffed.

"Listen here you piece of—" Thalia tried to threaten when the door flung open once more, just as uninvited and unannounced as Poseidon's entrance.

Only this time Percy stood in the doorway.

"Oh God this was a mistake," Percy gasped, eyes wide in abject horror, twisting his body around in a bid of escape, only to run into the hulking figure of Beckendorf, who steadied the raptor trainer with one hand.

His botched escape afforded him no favor, the damage was done; she'd seen his face. His stupidly perfect jaw was colored red, dark blues and purple starting to ink into the tanned skin, ruby blood dripping into those stupid green eyes, oh god—

Poseidon reached Percy first, even though Thalia leapt over the desk and Annabeth closed in from the right, reaching forward to pull his son, who windmilled and sputtered in protest, away from the mechanic.

"What happened?" Poseidon demanded, his voice harsh but touch gentle as he put his hands on Percy's shoulders.

Thalia loomed over Poseidon's shoulder, her face pale, one hand outstretched toward Percy. Percy's half-swollen eye flickered over to Annabeth, silently pleading. She leaned over Poseidon's other shoulder, horrorstruck as she touched his hot skin.

"Who?" Annabeth's voice was ice, murder in her veins as a drop of blood fell from Percy's lips.

Percy's shoulders visibly slumped; he heaved a great sigh, as if they _pained_ him with their concern, the idiot. He tried to gesture at his face, the movement awkward and constrained by the people pressed around him.

"Present from Kronos," was his succinct and exasperate reply.

"Who the hell's Kronos?" Thalia demanded. "You know what? I don't give a damn, where the hell is Kronos?"

"He's still at the damn paddock, we need to—" that was Reyna's voice, overlapped by Beckendorf's low tenor and Grover nervous bleating but Annabeth watched Percy, whose brow furrowed.

"You know him."

It wasn't a question. And although she loathed doing so, Annabeth tore her eyes from Percy to narrow them at Poseidon. The man stood deathly still, his fingers digging into Percy's shoulders. In the background, the phone rang.

"Kronos?" Zeus repeated, his deep voice barely permeating the room's chaos as everyone talked at once.

"Did he hurt you anywhere else?" Poseidon demanded urgently, shrugging an irate Thalia off as he lurched forward, fingers releasing Percy's shoulder only to urgently poke and prod their way around his son.

Percy tried to bat Poseidon away as Reyna angrily shouted, Beckendorf's voice rising.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, stop that, you _know_ him, I know that look— _shit_."

The last word hissed through Percy's lips with a wince.

"Stop that!" Thalia snarled, forcefully grabbing Poseidon by the arm at the same time Annabeth demanded;

"Where else are you hurt?"

"His _stomach_ , the jackass—"

"He had a _gun_ —"

"You _know_ him—"

"Get away from him, dammit, Percy come here—"

"What do you mean, Kronos?"

" _Enough._ "

Annabeth's elevated command brought the chaos to a standstill.

"Out," Annabeth instructed, snapping her fingers and pointing at the three hanging in the doorway.

"But he had a—" Reyna tried to furiously interject.

"No." Annabeth's voice broke no argument. "Out. Now."

Beckendorf dragged a sour faced Reyna backward, one giant hand on Grover's shoulder.

"Grover—?" Percy turned pleading, half panicked eyes on Annabeth, who didn't hesitate to give him what he wanted.

"Grover, stay."

Grover froze, and Beckendorf, bless his heart she needed to give him a raise once all of this was over, pushed Percy's best friend into the room before shutting the office door with a sharp _click_.

"What did—?"

"Medkit is in the top left cupboard," Annabeth sharply cut Poseidon off with her curt instruction.

Poseidon's fingers were bone white as they dug into Percy's shoulder, the father's jaw working. He looked ready to bolt . . . and to take Percy with him.

"Dad—"

She appreciated Percy's attempt to help, but this was Annabeth's show. "Poseidon, your son is bleeding. Get the medkit."

Poseidon stared at her, taking half a step forward to further invade Percy's space, practically curling around the raptor trainer. Percy looked equally confused and uncomfortable.

"Poseidon, get the damn kit."

Annabeth decided to let that one slide as Thalia's cold sneer snapped Poseidon to life. He slowly released Percy, his face draining of emotion as he took quick strides across the room.

"What do you—" Zeus tried to shatter the blessed silence.

"Come sit down Percy," Annabeth interrupted, reaching a hand out to Percy.

Percy didn't hesitate, curling his rough, callused hand around hers. Annabeth's heart couldn't help swelling as she tugged him closer. _Stupid, stupid man_ , she thought, a spark of murderous rage flaring in her heart as she lifted her free hand to wipe blood from his lips.

"Where else are you hurt?"

"His face and stomach," Grover pipped up.

"'M fine," Percy immediately rebutted.

"Yeah sure," Annabeth dismissed, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Off."

"What, no, I'm _fine_ , would you cut that out—"

"Perseus Jackson take off your shirt or so help me I swear I'll strip you in front of your family."

Percy blushed blood red, a couple sputtered syllables bubbling from his lips. "Wha-what, oh, stop it, dammit okay, it's coming off, it's coming off."

Thalia was at Percy's other side by the time the offending article was off and she hissed furiously at the newly exposed black and blue skin. Vaguely, and totally inappropriately _dammit Annabeth_ , the memory of Silena asking about Percy shirtless flittered through the manager's mind. _Silena'd be pleased_ , Annabeth thought dazedly as she reached forward to gently press her palm against the hot skin. Temperate hot, although the other kind of hot too but _bad, maybe later evil thoughts._

"I'm not a medic," Annabeth awkwardly said, holding an expecting hand out for the medkit as Poseidon stepped up behind her.

"He's got at least one cracked rib," Thalia muttered, reaching forward herself to assess the damage.

Her fingers were gentle and soft as they pressed around the bruised skin, Percy's flexing jaw the only indicator of his pain. He hissed a little as she pressed in the upper left of his ribs and Thalia grunted.

"Maybe two, and maybe a broken one."

"Sit," Annabeth instructed Percy. "What happened?"

Her voice was deadly calm as she forced him into one of her plush office chairs. Annabeth tilted his head up as Thalia took the medkit from her uncle.

"We—Grover and I—" Percy nodded his head to where Grover anxiously hovered "—went to feed the girls. And, ah, Luke was there, but, ah, not alone."

"Kronos," Poseidon darkly guessed, trying to step around Annabeth to reach Percy's side. Thalia beat him to it.

Medkit opened, one hand rifling through its contents, Thalia firmly perched herself on the arm of Percy's chair. Her eyes were daggers as she dug antiseptic wipes out of the kit and handed them over to Annabeth. Annabeth took the wipe, ignoring the other Olympians as she concentrated on Percy.

"Then what?"

"Then some big, older guy introduced himself as— _ouch_ —"

"Baby," Annabeth scoffed softly, but dabbed lighter with the wipe, smoothing Percy's hair back with her free hand. "Kronos?"

"Yeah, Kronos. And some giant goons were with them."

"What did they want?" Thalia tersely asked, jaw flexing while homicide raged in her eyes.

"I don't—it," Percy trailed off, blinking owlishly. He turned his head to look up Annabeth. "He wants the Park to fail. And he doesn't care what he has to do to make it happen."

Grover made a hiccupped sound. "He wanted the girls to kill Percy."

Annabeth's fingers tangled in Percy's hair, her body tensing in horror. The Olympians weren't blessed with such immobile horror—they erupted.

" _Over my goddamn body_ ," Thalia snarled, swinging her legs over the top of Percy's chair, effectively trapping the raptor trainer, her eyes wild.

Poseidon made an inhuman noise, slamming his fist against the wall hard enough to shake the very room.

" _You couldn't have left him alone_ ," Poseidon screamed, whirling on Zeus. "I told you to keep your damn park away from my son!"

Zeus stood perfectly still, eyes fixed on Thalia.

"I would never let anyone harm him," Zeus murmured lowly which caused Poseidon's lips to curl in contempt. "What did he look like Percy?"

"He _is_ hurt—!"

"Older than you," Percy spoke over his father, "Big but not like fat. Strong for an older guy. He could drag me around."

Thalia snarled.

"Salt and pepper, blue eyes . . ." Percy frowned, squinting at his uncle. His brow furrowed, teeth worrying on the edge of his abused lips.

"Like mine," Zeus surmised.

Poseidon closed his eyes, exhaling sharply.

"Kinda, I . . . They . . . they looked _just like_ yours."

"Poseidon."

Poseidon hung his head, ignoring his brother's call.

"Poseidon." Zeus' voice firmly demanded attention as he stalked towards Poseidon. "You lied to me."

"I just need to keep my family safe—my son, I _need_ my son safe."

The way Percy's eyes flickered to Thalia spoke of the younger Olympians' confusion.

Then, for the third damn time that hour, Annabeth's office door banged open.

"Jesus Christ." Thalia's voice was almost emotionless.

"Uncle Hades?" Percy's was confused.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Annabeth breathed as she got her first look at the eldest Olympian.

"I've been calling all damn morning, do any of you idiots own a cell phone?" Hades drawled, face like stone as he swept inside, dressed from head to toe in black.

Hades shared his brothers' sharp jaws and intense eyes, even if his were a coal black. He had perfect posture, an odd trait the brothers seemed to share, but he didn't fill the room like Zeus or Poseidon did. In fact, if she passed him on the street, Annabeth didn't think she'd even notice him. Not that he was common or plain, but his very presence deterred attention.

"Dad's alive," Zeus exclaimed, throwing an arm out towards Hades.

Hades froze, eyes on Poseidon, who kept his closed.

"Hm." Coal eyes calmly moved to Zeus. "Yes, Kronos is alive."

"Wait—" Percy's eyes went wide.

"Son of a bitch, that assholes our _grandfather_?" Thalia demanded. "What the hell?"

"How much do they know?" Hades asked, addressing Poseidon.

"A name."

"Tell me what's going on," Zeus thundered, face darkening.

"Sit down," Hades commanded, lines heavy on his face.

" _Tell me_."

"Sit down you arrogant child." Hades' face remained immobile but Annabeth got the impression of an exasperate and weary mother, hand on her hip as she chastised her sulking child. And like the chastised child, Zeus' face convulsed, mouthing grumbled complaints but obediently sinking into a chair, unhapypy.

"Well, I'm sitting," Zeus snapped.

"I got word he was in the area," Hades told Poseidon. Poseidon's face morphed into something near savage.

"He _attacked_ my son."

Hades glanced at Percy, who shifted awkwardly in his chair.

"He attacked my Percy."

Hades made a vague humming sound. Poseidon's lips curled.

"He attacked—"

"I know Poseidon I see it—"

"My son Hades—"

"He killed my daughter, Poseidon, I know."

And with that, the life drained out of Poseidon's body.

"What—Bianca?" Thalia asked disbelievingly, "No, no, Bianca was killed in a car accident."

"Indeed." Hades' lips barely moved.

"For God's sake, speak plainly," Zeus exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. "Why—you told me Dad was dead."

"He's very much alive," Hades muttered.

"So you've been lying to me? Why?"

"Because, your highness, for some ungodly self-sacrificial reason we wanted to protect you," Hades snapped, irritation seeping into his tone.

"From what? The knowledge that dad was really alive?" Skepticism weighed heavily in Zeus' reply.

"No, you arrogant fool," Hades snapped harshly. "From Kronos himself."

Zeus' face grew impassive, hardening into blankness. "I don't understand," the youngest Olympian finally admitted, the assertion sounding less like an admission of fault and more like an accusation.

"No, you didn't," Hades agreed. "You never have I suppose. Poseidon and I thought you might one day thank us for it. Foolishly, perhaps."

Hades turned and, sensing his gaze, Poseidon lifted his eyes.

"I'm going to tell them," Hades' words sounded almost like a warning. Poseidon sighed heavily but waved for Hades to go on.

"What do you remember about Kronos?"

Zeus' mouth turned down, "Very little. You told me he was killed resisting arrest."

"He was never arrested," Poseidon grumbled. "The police just thought he was dead."

Hades crossed his arms, "He's very good at tricking people into believing what he wants them to."

Zeus opened his mouth but Hades went on, "It doesn't matter how he did it. What matters is that he lived and everyone else thought him dead."

Hades paused, holding Poseidon's eyes.

"He wanted to take me with him when he left."

Poseidon snorted, "If you're going to tell the story, at least tell it right." He turned to Zeus, "Kronos wanted to take _you_ with him because he couldn't corrupt Hades—and he thought you had enough ambition and thirst for power to be molded and corrupted."

"Yes, thank you Poseidon," Hades ground out, eyes daggers. "Kronos needed to keep a low profile until his death faded into oblivion. He wanted to take you with him, yes, but we didn't let him . . . and he didn't like that. But he did eventually leave—"

"How?"

"Hm?"

"How did you make him leave? You were what, ten years older than me, I was, what, eight? So, eighteen, you were eighteen, how did an eighteen-year-old and, and a, what fifteen? Fifteen-year-old make him leave?"

Hades mulled it over. "I," he said slowly, "may have pulled a gun on him. But that's not important."

"Not important—?"

"He left and we thought that was that. But . . . but Kronos doesn't like to lose. And he's very . . . good at biding his time."

Hades paused once more, looking over at Poseidon. Poseidon's jaw was clenched, and his eyes stayed focused on Percy.

"I love you Percy," Poseidon said, eyes feverously bright. "You know that don't you? You're my son, my boy—I've only ever—I only wanted—I love you. You know that? I love you, remember that part—"

His words tripped over each other, Poseidon himself reaching a hand out towards Percy, whose eyes were wide with alarm.

"Okay, yes we get it—" Thalia's sharp voice cut across the room like a whip. "You love Percy, he's your son, your only child, you love him, yeah, yeah. God, this is uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable, Annabeth's uncomfortable, Dad's uncomfortable. Percy—look at him!—Percy's uncomfortable. So, could you just—not? We get it, keep it to yourself. God."

The last word was breathed off to the side as Thalia pointedly looked anywhere but at Poseidon. Actually, all of the Olympians were ardently avoiding eye contact at this point. Zeus' eyes were to the ceiling, Poseidon's to Percy's shoes, Hades' at the floor, and Percy, with a pink face, was staring avidly at his hands. Honestly, of all the emotionally constipated—

"Right," Hades said, clearing his throat as if nothing had happened. "A few years later Poseidon began running for the Naiads."

"The what?"

"Illegal smugglers of what usually were illegal persons—migrants, refugees and the like."

"It wasn't human trafficking," Poseidon defended himself before anyone could object. "We were simply providing passage from one point to another. Everybody willing got abroad and willingly left. They wanted to go wherever we took them."

"And I'm sure you helped them out of the goodness of your heart, you saint you," Zeus deadpanned. "How much did they pay you?"

Hades ignored Zeus' interruption to continue with the story: "Poseidon was good at going undetected and going fast, I don't know if that's what caught Kronos' attention or if he was already watching. It doesn't matter either way. He had one of his . . . associates ask Poseidon to run cargo for him."

"Oh God, is that where our money came from?" Zeus groaned, his head falling into his hands.

"You're welcome for not letting you starve," Poseidon said crossly.

"Oh God."

"It was just smuggling," Poseidon defended. "Harmless cargo—dinosaur bones, sculptures, art work—"

"Important cultural artifacts," Thalia crossly interjected.

"The important thing was no one got hurt—"

"Except the people you were depriving precious artifacts from—"

"Did you know?" Zeus loudly asked, addressing Hades.

"I knew Poseidon disappeared for weeks only to reappear with wads of cash, but I couldn't feed you _and_ make the house payments so I didn't ask questions. And then you had Thalia. Seventeen years old, barely able to feed yourself and you had to tell me you're going to be a father." The last words were grumbled, half exasperated.

Zeus bristled but Hades was speaking before he could angrily retort.

"And then Jason."

"I worked—" Zeus blustered furiously.

"You were hysterical," Hades snapped. "You dropped out of school, you couldn't decide if you needed to work more to feed your kids or work less to protect them from their own mother. You were a mess; you couldn't even afford regular meals much less a lawyer to get custody of them."

"That's how you paid for Jason's disappearance."

"Yes."

"I—" Zeus blinked, closed his mouth. "I don't know where I thought the money was coming from."

"We know," Hades said, raising a judgmental eyebrow. Then the brow fell and something almost sympathetic settled across his face. "We designed it that way. I had Bianca, and Poseidon Percy. Sally and Maria kept our children from starving so we tried to help keep yours. Anyway, after Percy's birth and Thalia's rescue, Poseidon wanted out. The job was dangerous, he had a baby to worry about and we were well off enough that we wouldn't starve to death without the extra cash. Kronos didn't like it. He wanted to punish us for escaping him. I think he assumed the job would kill Poseidon. It certainly kills enough people.

"But Poseidon was too good. So when he tried to pull out, Kronos threatened Percy."

Thalia's eyes widened from her silent perch.

"Well, or at least he tried to. Sally didn't put Poseidon's real name on Percy's birth certificate—probably a result of not actually knowing his real name but that's neither here nor there. Kronos knew Poseidon had a son even if he didn't know how to find Percy."

Poseidon leaned his head back against the wall, eyes closed. Percy bore a hole in his father's head, face unreadable.

"I couldn't let Poseidon go back to the city. Kronos was watching our every move. If Poseidon returned to Percy, Kronos would find him. So I sent Poseidon out of the country."

"I wanted to kill him," Poseidon said calmly.

"We both did," Hades agreed. "We knew it wouldn't be safe for Poseidon to come back until Kronos wasn't a threat anymore."

"But he still is a threat," Annabeth said, speaking up for the first time. "Or you wouldn't be here and Zeus would know the story."

"Indeed." Hades didn't seem much bothered by her interruption. "Poseidon went abroad and I stayed in the country with Zeus. It was . . . impossible to make Poseidon utterly sever ties; his interactions with Sally and Percy were limited to encrypted phone calls and spontaneous visits. We were worried about Thalia, about Kronos finding out about her with all the court orders and petitions for full custody Zeus was pushing. Beryl was a problem that solved itself though when she—"

"Hades."

The warning was low and dangerous. Thalia feigned indifference, studying her dirt covered nails and pointedly not noticing anybody.

"When Mom OD'ed," Thalia finished for her uncle.

"Thals—"

"Shut up Percy, go on Uncle Hades."

"Zeus got full custody of Thalia. There was still the trouble of the paperwork and all the documents connecting him to her but . . . but that was around the time the senator took Zeus under his wing. Zeus was suddenly in the public eye. I didn't . . . I didn't worry as much then."

"My daughter was in danger and you never thought to tell me?" Zeus asked, his voice like ice.

"Your daughter was always in danger, from her own mother, from starvation," Hades evenly replied. "Besides, Kronos wasn't pissed at you, he was pissed at Poseidon and me, and you only by extension. We kept him occupied enough to leave you alone. Or so we assumed."

"Poseidon started wreaking havoc on Kronos' smuggling operations. He took jobs from them, got Kronos' people arrested and warehouses busted. He did the active busting while I stayed back here, keeping an eye on you and tackling Kronos' infrastructure. He made good use of the time he was away. He built up a faux company front that he used to hide all his illegal dealings: T-Core."

T-Core. The name rang through Annabeth's mind; her mouth felt dry. All these years she thought T-Core hated them because they were competition. Sure she knew T-Core was out to get them but she always assumed the 'out to get them' part was financial not fatal. God, _she_ sent Luke out to Percy that first day.

Something warm and heavy pressed into her shoulder; Percy had rested his head against her. Her fingers were still caught in his hair, the antiseptic wipe laid forgotten in the crevice of the chair. Annabeth brushed his hair back, pressing him tightly against her.

"Amazingly, even T-Core couldn't grow as fast as Lighting Inc did. I like to think it pissed Kronos off. Zeus grew more prominent in the public eye, he started amassing wealth. You hired bodyguards for Thalia," he reminded Zeus. "And finally I felt I could breathe. You were too much in the limelight for Kronos to attack directly. You were bigger than him now. He was right when he saw ambition in you."

Zeus blinked and Annabeth wondered if he caught the same hint of pride in Hades' voice that she did. Then Hades' very being turned cold, his eyes blacker than night.

"Poseidon busted what we thought was Kronos' biggest ports in the East when Lightning Inc went public. Three days later I got the call. Maria was driving Bianca and Nico to school that day. I . . . "

"Car accident they said," Poseidon said, picking up for Hades, who stood perfectly still in the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back and staring blankly at nothing. "Car on the other side of the road lost control and veered over."

"It could have just been—" Percy tried to say, eyes wide.

"Except the license of the driver who hit them was a dead man," Poseidon snapped. "One of Kronos', a name we knew. It was a message, a warning."

Poseidon glanced at Hades, who still stood immobile. The middle Olympian heaved a great sigh and, addressing Percy directly, said, "I came back to you then. We couldn't . . . we were afraid. I thought if I introduced you to Zeus, then maybe his name could protect you. You still weren't listed anywhere as my son but . . . but sooner or later Kronos would figure it out. I couldn't be there." Poseidon blinked. Then blinked again, swallowing hard. "I couldn't be there but I could make Zeus be there. If you were with Thalia or with Nico, Hades or Zeus with his guards could keep you safe."

Silence rang through the somber room. The three Olympian brothers were silent, sometimes gazing at each other, sometimes at nothing at all.

"That's why you wouldn't let Nico go to public school," Thalia said finally, each word rolling slowly off her tongue. "Why you never let him leave the house."

Hades didn't answer, but then again, Thalia wasn't really asking.

"We almost have him," Hades said, the words murmured. "That's why he's here; he's scared. We have him and he knows it. T-Core is failing and he's trying to take anyone he can down with him."

"He's at my paddock," Percy said, voice filled with horror. "If he's as crazy and desperate as you say he is, we need to get down there _now_."

"The raptor paddock?" Hades asked, head turning sharply. "He's at the _raptor paddock?"_

"He can't let them out," Annabeth immediately supplied. "The fence has three thousand volts of electricity running through it. Once a paddock is up and operational there's no way to turn it off—even if the power goes out we have the backup generators. They can keep the park going for three whole days, and they're buried ten feet underground. He can't get in there to shut them off without a handprint scan and a special code. He can't get in the gates of the paddock either, he'd need a special ID and the paddock code. The code isn't even recorded online anywhere, we gave it to Percy orally."

Percy was silent. "Does Ethan know the code?"

"I—" Annabeth stared at him. "I don't know. I only gave it to you."

"Wouldn't be all that hard to figure out, all he had to do was watch Percy key it in," Thalia pointed out. "Does Ethan's ID work on the paddock?"

"No, only three IDs would work, mine, Percy's and Grover's."

"I have mine!" Grover cried, scrambling to pull the card out.

"How hard would it be to hack into the paddock?" Zeus pressed, leaning forward with his fingers stapled.

Hades was already heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Zeus demanded, rising from his chair.

"To talk with daddy dearest," Hades intoned.

In a feat of surprising agility, Zeus was across the room and in the doorway, firmly planting himself in Hades' path.

"No."

One black eyebrow rose, lips curling as Hades coolly repeated, "No?"

"No," Zeus repeated firmly, not budging.

"Get out of my way Zeus, before you get hurt," Hades softly instructed.

"Zeus—" Poseidon lowly interjected, taking a step forward.

"No, you don't get to sulk around in the shadows anymore." Zeus' voice was absolute, authoritative. "I'm not eight anymore, you don't have to protect me—you don't get to hide things from me anymore. This is _my_ park, he's threatened _my_ daughter, _my_ nephew. I have resources, ideas that don't involve blindingly walking into something you might not be able to control."

Poseidon stood by Hades' side, shoulder to shoulder as Zeus firmly stood his ground.

"You don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly clear," Zeus snarled, his face half-savage. He cleared his throat, composing himself. "You two are hardly the only ones who've lost something. I lost my son—I lost Jason. I'm a stranger to him, my own son. He grew up without me, he calls someone else dad. I almost watched my daughter starve."

"Not to mention you don't even know _where_ the paddock is," Thalia helpfully pointed out.

Zeus' lips twitched.

"He's dangerous," Hades warned.

" _I'm_ dangerous," Zeus rebutted.

"He's got guns," Grover exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "And he's crazy and desperate, what are you going to do?"

"My park is hardly without guns," Zeus said dryly.

"Guns meant to be used on _dinosaurs._ The only lethal weapons we have here are the giant, industrial-sized ones meant to bring down a rampaging prehistoric beast, not a human. What are you going to do, turn the paddock into a war zone?" Grover demanded.

"He's got a point. And it's not like our guards here are Navy Seals. They deal with animals, not people," Thalia reminded them.

"Gunfire would agitate the girls, and we still need to find Ethan," Percy said protectively, crossing his arms.

"You're not turning my park into a war zone," Annabeth immediately objected. "We have almost twenty _thousand_ people in this park. And gunfire would alarm _all_ of the animals. We have guests in the paddock with some dinosaurs, like the gallimimus valley. If gunfire reaches them, they are liable to panic and start a stampede. Not to mention the sound of gunfire in a _Jurassic park_ would cause panic of the human variety. People hear gun fire, they think of the first park and dinosaurs getting lose."

"Let me talk to him," Percy suggested.

"No." Poseidon's eyes flashed at the suggestion, his answer absolute.

Percy ignored him, turning to Annabeth instead. "I could pretend like I was thinking about opening the paddock for him. Luke knows I'm not on good terms with my dad, I could pretend to be upset. Get Kronos to tell me where Ethan is, get him away from his goons so someone could tase him or whatever."

Percy made an odd half-straggled gesture, as though this articulated his point.

"No!" Poseidon repeated.

"Come on Dad," Percy complained, his nose wrinkling. "It's a good idea. Anyone else waltzes in, he starts firing. It's _my_ paddock and Kronos knows he has something I want—Ethan."

"I said _no_."

"I'm not a little boy anymore—"

"You're _my boy_ —"

"It's not a bad idea," Hades mused.

" _No,_ " Poseidon snarled, whirling on his brother.

"We'll be there the whole time," Zeus immediately planned. "We'll have people surround the paddock before he ever walks in, in the bushes and tree line. We have tranquilizer guns that can be set low enough for humans. Or high enough to kill," he added thoughtfully.

"What part of _no_ don't you understand—"

"Percy's right, anyone else walks in there, Kronos starts shooting," Hades rationalized.

"So you're going to put _my son_ under the scope?"

"Dad, it's okay."

Poseidon twisted back around to look at Percy, his eyes blazing. Percy stood up, perfectly calm and reasonable.

"It's okay," he repeated. "I can do this, let me do this."

"No—"

"Dad, it's okay. I'll be okay. You'll be right there, Uncle Hades and Uncle Zeus will be right there," Percy's even voice soothed, as calm and steady as the sea. "Thalia and Grover and Annabeth. I trust you guys, you'll all be there for me. It'll be okay. I know you want to protect me, but you need to let me do this."

"If he so much as—"

"If he so much as whatevers you can shoot him," Percy promised. Then, "with _tranquilizers_."

"We'll be right there," Hades promised. "We won't let anything happen Poseidon."

Poseidon started at Percy, eyes half wild.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, so somebody better give me a gun," Thalia declared, coming to her feet. "I don't trust any of you idiots with my idiot."

"You're all going to shoot him before I even open my mouth," Percy groaned.

"I'll watch them," Annabeth promised, reaching forward to lace her fingers through Percy's.

Percy rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, smiling a crooked little smile.

"She'll let us shoot him," Thalia pointed out, snorting. "But whatever. Okay, so we need an official plan not just set Percy lose and hope for the best. I've seen that on the Discovery Channel, it leads to massive blood loss more often than not."

"One time, Thalia, one time—"

"If this all goes well, could you get Hazel back?"

"Who's Hazel?" Thalia demanded, catching Poseidon's soft question to his brother. "Oh God, are you telling me Nico's got a long lost sibling too?"

"Leave Nico out of this," Hades snapped.

"Oh my God, _this family!"_

"I don't have a long lost sibling do I?" Percy asked suspiciously, eyeing his father warily.

Poseidon smiled a half-sad, half-anxious thing. "No. You're my only one."

"Oh good."

"Alright, the big boys are going to map out a real plan here, so Annabeth help Percy wrap his chest—broken ribs I'm telling ya—and get a shirt on him, for crying out loud, can't send him in half-naked. Though I suppose that might give us the element of surprise. Uncle Hades, I have the layout of the paddock, let me show you."

"You okay?" Annabeth asked softly, squeezing Percy's hand.

"Not really?" Percy whispered back, wrinkling his nose. "I feel like my whole life just turned upside down."

"It's a lot to take in," Annabeth agreed, bringing his knuckles up to her mouth so she could lay them against her cheek. "Let's just get through today and we'll worry about it after okay?"

Percy stared at her, at their entwined hands against her cheek. "Okay."

"Good. Now let's get your ribs wrapped."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've literally never wrote so much dialogue in my life what the hec


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: nongraphic blood and gore

Thalia, dressed from head to toe in dark camouflage with one of the park's military grade rifles slung over her shoulder, was a terrifying sight to behold. Also super badass. Percy was equal parts terrified, proud, and oddly reassured at the sight. By her side, Reyna provided an equally badass figure, although only about an eight on the terrifying scale compared to Thalia's solid ten. Percy figured this had less to do with how likely Reyna was to kill a man (he was actually pretty sure that probability was higher than Annabeth would like) but more to do with the general aura of murderous vibes Thalia put out.

That or he was biased.

He might be a little biased.

"She has a regular tranq right?" Percy asked out of the corner of his mouth, leaning against the hot metal of Beckendorf's car as they watched the team assemble.

They were gathered just one klick south of the paddock, the team swiftly but silently preparing for the worse. Percy wasn't entirely sure _what_ a klick was, but Reyna said it meaningfully and Hades gravely nodded his head so he figured his ignorance on the subject wasn't important. It measured _some_ sort of distance he knew, but that's where his knowledge ended.

"I made her take one of the tranqs we use on the compys," Annabeth told him soothingly, one hand resting on the back of his neck, thumbing rubbing comfortingly over the exposed skin. It was rather nice; he fought the urge to close his eyes and lean into the touch like a cat or something equally weird.

"She's going to kill someone," Percy groaned, which earned him an irate _shhh_ from Reyna.

The rest of the team paid his groaning little mind. And by 'team' he meant the crazy half of the Olympian family (minus Hera but did she really count?), Reyna, Beckendorf, Grover, Clarisse and a couple other trusted ACU members floating around. At his side, Annabeth reached up to brush her fingers against the wire discretely hidden away beneath the fringe of his shirt.

"Let's go over it one more time," she said and he fought the urge to groan once more, his leg bouncing restlessly.

At her stern glare however, he attempted to sober his face up.

"Connor and the control room are watching your paddock cams, they'll keep eyes on the whole operation. Reyna and her half will head out to the back of the paddock to the higher ground. Thalia and the rest will spread out around the perimeter of the paddock. We'll have all angles covered. If Kronos so much as thinks about pulling his gun, we'll be there."

She paused and Percy bobbed his head to indicate his understanding, eyes flickering over to where an exasperate Hades was slapping Zeus upside the head, fiddling with the tranquilizer that once was held in the youngest brother's hands. Percy wondered if Zeus had ever held a gun before. Signs pointed to no. God, this was going to be a disaster.

"Focus," Annabeth sharply instructed, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes and Percy lasered back in on her. Her lips twitched ever so slightly. "That's better. Now, we have you wired—" she plucked at his shirt "—and we'll be listening to every word you guys exchange. If you need help just say the code words." She paused. He waited. "Tell me code words Perseus," she exclaimed in exasperation.

"Oh right, um, ' _I'm the Alpha of this paddock'_."

"That should work inconspicuously no matter where the conversation is," Annabeth said, satisfied. "So, you'll drive up, alone, and greet Kronos. Tell me what happens next."

"I'll greet Kronos," Percy repeated, watching as Poseidon broke away from the crazy herd to make his way over towards the pair. "And complain about Dad. He knows we don't always get along so I'll pretend to have confronted Dad about Luke and being upset with the answer." Come to think of it, he never did address that. But even Percy knew there was a time and a place for such things and now, with a madman loose in his paddock, was hardly the time. Later. "I'll get him talking so you can capture his confession on record and separate him from his men so we can isolate and detain him."

Annabeth ignored Poseidon as he came to a stop before the pair, designing instead to fuss with Percy's wire again.

"Don't let Thalia shoot anyone until after we have a confession," Percy implored, taking a leaf out of Annabeth's book and ignoring his father as well. He reached up and caught Annabeth's hands, stopping her fussing. "Stop that, it's fine."

"He's stayed ahead of your uncles and—" her eyes briefly flickered over to Poseidon "—father, and presumably countless other governments and intelligence agencies."

"What are you trying to say—?"

"That this is a bad idea," Annabeth snapped, her eyes flashing. She tried to tug her hands free but Percy held them tight, blinking in confusion.

"She's afraid she's sending you to your death," Poseidon muttered, reaching out to fuss with Percy's shirt collar.

Percy pulled Annabeth's hands against his chest, trapping them there with one hand so he could slap Poseidon's away with the other. Honestly, for the love of all that was holy what was wrong with these people?

"Stop that," he exclaimed irritably. "And stop being so dramatic, nobody's going to die. And if anybody were to die, it certainly wouldn't be me. Your crazy, trigger-happy bunch will be sure of that."

"Your confidence is heartening," Poseidon muttered, hand hovering in the air between himself and his son as though tempted to reach out and fuss some more.

Percy put Annabeth between them, just in case.

"You have to be convincing," Annabeth said sternly, tilting her head back to level a glare at his head.

"I'm very convincing," Percy defended. "I got you to like me didn't I?"

Her lips gave a reluctant twitch. "And Ethan," she admitted. "But that was you being you, not you acting. There's a difference."

"I'll be careful," he promised.

"Alright, we're all set and moving out," Thalia announced, striding over. Her boots stomped heavily into the mud, spraying the car and everyone's shins in a thin layer of gunk. Nobody really noticed.

"You ready?" Thalia asked, locking eyes with Percy. She looked rather like a lioness, Percy thought, proud and powerful but with concern edged deep inside the corner her eyes. Sometimes, he worried the concerned fear was edged in so deep, she'd never be free of it.

"I'm ready," he assured her, trying to inspire confidence with his eyes.

Thalia clapped him on the shoulder, "Alright, get in the car and when we radio that we're in place, drive on up."

"Got it," Percy saluted, which earned him a slap upside the head.

"Be careful," Poseidon implored, letting Thalia drag him off.

"Don't be stupid," Annabeth told him firmly, tugging her hands away from his grasp and this time he let her go.

"What, no good luck kiss?" Percy called as she took two steps after his family.

Annabeth snorted, shooting him an amused but exasperated look over her shoulder as she climbed into the back of the dark ACU van.

"You get one when you earn it. Don't get shot and I'll think about it." She shut the door then, her eyes bright and grin mischievous.

Percy grinned stupidly, mind already jumping ahead, wondering just what he had to do to earn that kiss.

"Five minutes!" Thalia shouted as they pulled out, Reyna making a 'watching you' gesture.

"Don't shoot anyone," Percy quietly pleaded as the vans silently disappeared into the forest.

When the vans had disappeared from sight, Percy climbed into the car to wait. He didn't have to wait for long. As promised, five minutes later, the call came in and Percy drove forward. The paddock came into view slowly, the sight tugging at the heart of him. He couldn't have been gone for more than two hours, but it felt like a lifetime. The girls squawked at his approach, intuitively aware that their alpha had returned.

"I'm here, girls, I'm here," Percy muttered, watching with narrowed eyes as Kronos and his men realized company approached.

They milled around the paddock gates, strange equipment laid out; Percy's teeth went on edge, eyeing them suspiciously. Annabeth said they couldn't get in right? The crunch of the gravel was familiar but failed to soothe Percy as he stepped out of the car.

"Ah, you have returned," Kronos greeted, one eyebrow raising. "And without your loyal friends."

They walked towards each other and Percy was strongly reminded of Juno, prowling the edge of the paddock and sizing up anyone who dared step near. Speaking of the devil, he could see her ocean blue scales, the sun glinting brightly off them from her perch near the edge of the trees. The other girls stood behind her, their necks all craned towards the men. They lounged back, just barely in sight and strategically casual. This was no casual gathering, however, Percy knew better; he could see the tautness of their muscles, the coil in their legs as they patiently, warily, waited.

He turned his eyes back to Kronos.

"No," he agreed, "they're not."

He stopped an arm's length from Kronos, shoving his hands deep in his pocket. The man surveyed him and Percy him in returned. The resemblance between the Olympian brothers and the man before him was obvious now; seeing Kronos in the bright afternoon light, Percy couldn't understand why he didn't notice it before. The broad set of his shoulders, the curve of his nose, the angle of his eyebrows could all be found in the Olympian brother. The eyes though, the eyes were unlike any that could be found in the Olympian family. They were nothing like the cool green of his father's. If anything, they remind Percy of Juno.

"So," Kronos exclaimed when Percy offered nothing more, throwing his hands wide. "What brings you back young Perseus?"

"I talked to Poseidon," Percy said, taking great care to keep his voice even and disinterested.

He pretended like he was talking to Sally in one of their many long distance phone calls where he pretended like he wasn't furious with Poseidon and she pretended not to notice. He also kept his eyes half on the paddock, making sure to fidget.

"Oh, did you?" Kronos stalked around, forcing himself into Percy's line of sight.

"I did," Percy offered almost carelessly.

"And?" Kronos pressed, "What did your great father have to say?"

"Not a whole lot," Percy replied vaguely.

"Anything you wanted to hear?"

Percy pursed his lips. Across the paddock, Juno held deathly still. "No."

"Anything you didn't want to hear?" Kronos pressed, his voice a sickening croon as he stepped closer.

Percy refused to back up, pretending to chew on his lip. "Maybe."

He didn't have to look to know Kronos was grinning.

"I did try to warn you," the snake said. "Come here, child."

Percy finally looked forward. Kronos stood directly in front of him, a knowing smirk firmly in place on his false face. He held an arm out, wrapping it around Percy's shoulder when the raptor trainer made no objection.

"Father's sometimes," Kronos said with a heavy sigh, "have a nasty habit of not pulling through when you need them to, hmm? I tried to warn you, you can hardly blame me."

Percy stiffened at the touch, his stomach still aching from the previous encounter with the owner of that damned arm.

"I don't like you," Percy said shortly, shrugging Kronos' arm off. Percy could practically feel Annabeth cursing his name as Kronos' eyebrow rose, slowly stepping back.

She needn't worry, Percy sort of knew what he was doing.

"Oh?" Kronos asked, the honey seeping out of his voice, venom taking its place.

"You beat me and kidnapped my friend, why on earth would I like you?" Percy demanded.

Kronos's crooked lips gave a twist. "And here I thought you came to trick me," he demurred. "I can't see how such a stubborn, bull-headed child like you could turncoat and let his beloved animals die."

Percy's jaw flexed.

"I'm still not entirely certain you're not a snake among friends," Kronos continued, his eyes dark and malicious.

"Not a snake but a raptor," Percy coldly replied, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Oh." Kronos appeared amused. "Tell me then, if a snake comes to deceive his enemies, what does a raptor do?"

"Keep the pack together. Where's Ethan?" Percy demanded, feet squared and standing tall.

"I wonder," Kronos mused, watching Percy carefully, "who is included in that pack?"

"Not Poseidon," Percy bluntly put forth, knowing what Kronos wanted to hear.

"But words," Kronos practically purred.

Percy didn't stoop to his level. "Believe it or not," he said, aiming for carelessness, "Where's Ethan?"

Kronos stared at him, inhuman eyes trying to burn into Percy's soul. Luckily, Percy spent the last couple months staring down real life monsters, the likes of which Kronos couldn't fathom. Percy glared right back, unblinking.

"You can't expect me to give you that information for naught in return," Kronos answered finally, returning to his honeyed tone.

"You're not setting the girls free," Percy said.

"Oh no, of course not," Kronos easily replied. "Walk with me, child."

"You _want_ to set them free," Percy said suspiciously.

"Walk with me," Kronos insisted, folding his hands behind his back. Percy had no choice but to follow, having to take a couple quick strides to catch up with Kronos' regal strut.

"I wanted to yes," Kronos agreed as they strode across the wide paddock. Percy's shoes sunk into the mud, the ground basically mush thanks to the storm. Walking felt a herculean effort, keeping up with Kronos something unworldly. "But I'm a flexible man. The real question is what do _you_ want?"

"Ethan," Percy repeated in agitation.

Kronos started up the stairs of the paddock, heading for the platform above. Percy sighed but followed.

"Obviously," Kronos dismissed with a wave of his hand, voice scornful. "What are you willing to give me though? And more importantly, why did you return to me instead of bringing the park guards?"

Percy pursed his lips, looking down at the paddock. The girls prowled below, stalking the edge of the enclosure as their eyes followed the men above. Ceres tilted her head up, coming high on her hind legs to gaze at Percy. He fought the ridiculous urge to blow her a kiss, knowing now was _so_ not the time. Percy looked at her as he answered;

"I was angry."

"At Poseidon," Kronos sounded pleased.

"What do _you_ want?" Percy challenged, meeting Kronos' cold eyes.

"You're still asking the wrong questions," Kronos said with a sigh. "Hmm, well, since we're talking in circles, let me cut to the chase and list some facts shall I?" Kronos ticked the points off on his fingers as he went. "You will not let the raptors out. You want Nakamura back. You are very loyal. You don't get along with your father but you love him anyway."

Percy sucked in a breath, ready to deny it, a sinking feeling swelling in his gut. But Kronos didn't allow the interruption.

"He told you who I am and you think I oppose everything you are. You also think I'm stupid."

He moved lightning fast. Percy was too surprised, a step behind, to react on time. The struggle was brief. Percy's fist connected with Kronos' face but the older man didn't even pause, ripping the wire clean off Percy's body from where it hid beneath his collar, violently flinging it into the paddock below.

 _"Do I look like a fool?"_ Kronos roared, blood rolling down his face.

His hand closed around Percy's neck and forced him backwards. Percy, slightly distracted by the falling wire and the impending sense of _shit Thalia's gonna shoot someone_ , managed to grab onto Kronos. It ended in a stalemate. The bridge groaned angrily in protest to their violent movement. Percy's back pressed painfully against the railing, his feet barely touching the ground. One hand stopped Kronos from strangling him, the other pressed against the man's shoulder to keep him at bay.

"Well," Percy said, slightly breathless. "This is comfortable."

Kronos tried to tighten his fingers.

"Ah, alright, just take a chill pill," Percy said, prying at Kronos' hand.

"How many?" Kronos snarled, his eyes over Percy's shoulder. Percy didn't have to look to know his guards were falling like flies.

"More than you got, you're surrounded," Percy warned.

Kronos furiously snarled and Percy took advantaged of his rage; he rammed his knee into Kronos. Kronos gasped in pain, giving Percy the slack to pry his fingers away, elbow coming in fast too—only Kronos caught him, twisting Percy's arm back. Percy head-butted Kronos' probably already broken nose, twisting to break free when—

_Creak._

Percy froze.

"Wait, wait, stop, stop, stop moving!" Percy shouted, freezing in horror as the bridge gave a lurch.

"Faulty manufacturing there," Kronos cackled, blood flowing ghastly down his face as he turned, his grin bloodstained and terrible as he took in the failing bridge.

During their struggle, the platform had listed to the side, the metal bending and groaning, barely keeping the men stable.

"Don't move!" Someone below shouted.

Kronos breathed heavily, his fingers tightly wound around Percy's wrist from where they paused their struggle.

"Is that you Hades?" He shouted, hatred burning in his eyes. The bridge gave a low groan, the metal rattling beneath their feet.

"Shhh," Percy hissed, muscles tense.

His eyes flickered below. Figures were racing towards them, the golden flare that was probably Annabeth; that had to be Thalia there behind her but Percy wasn't concerned about what was outside the paddock. His eyes fell further, into the enclosure itself. All four girls huddled together. Ceres' eyes were fixed on her alpha but Juno, smart, clever Juno, was watching the bridge.

"Yes," Hades shouted up. "You're putting too much strain on the bridge. I need you to carefully let go of Percy and, when we direct you, start walking away from him—"

Kronos gave a wild, crazed laugh.

"We need to redistribute the weight," Hades shouted up.

"Oh I don't think so," Kronos said.

"Oh I think so," Percy hissed as the bridge gave another terrible groan. The metal beneath their feet began to tilt. There was a _pop_ and Percy barely managed not to yell as the bridge suddenly dropped an inch.

"Shit," he gasped.

"Percy!" That was definitely Poseidon.

"And what will you do once I'm off the bridge?" Kronos called down. "Lock me up? Arrest me, you still don't have any proof!"

"No, we don't," Hades soothed. "So why don't you just let go of Percy?"

Kronos stared at Percy, his black eyes fathomless. "You have enough."

"No, no Kronos we—"

"Like raptors," Kronos muttered and Percy got the odd impression he was talking to himself. "Sticking together like the damn raptors, ready to devour and tear."

"Let go of me Kronos and start walking backwards, slowly," Percy instructed, his voice calm and level despite the racing of his heart.

"I can stay ahead of the game," Kronos muttered, "I hold all the cards."

"Yeah, you do," Percy agreed desperately as the bridge made an awful shrill sound. "You win, congratulations."

"I have you."

"What? Yeah, okay," Percy said, "You got me, hook, line and sinker there was no fooling you—"

Kronos' face set. Percy's heart stopped. Looking into those cold eyes, he knew: Kronos wasn't going to let him go.

"Don't," he whispered. "They'll kill us both."

"I know," Kronos grinned and threw his weight against the railing.

The bridge screamed in protest, the metal caving under the weight and pressure and they were falling, falling, falling. Percy couldn't hear himself shout over the roar of the metal. He slid, then cold metal no longer pressed against his back and he was tumbling, freefalling, oh god—his back hit the ground hard, the motion jarring. Percy gasped, instinctively curling into a ball, hands coming over his head to protect it from the falling debris. It seemed to last an eternity.

"Shit," Percy gasped, eyes popping open.

The fall tossed him into the bushes at the tree front. A twisted part of the railing curled around the trunk he laid against, miraculously missing him by inches. The platform embedded itself in the ground, a tangled wreck. Percy's first panicked thought was: can the girls jump out? But no, the platform had fallen in pieces and the fence towered fifteen feet overhead. Even on the broken remains of the platform they probably couldn't get out. Which brought Percy back to his current predicament.

Where were the girls?

Percy gasped, twisting around as his eyes searched. Nothing moved, the earth was deathly quiet. The sound, Percy realized, and the crash would have scared them. But once they realize they aren't in danger they would investigate, Percy reminded himself, coming to his feet. Copper tanged heavy on his tongue; his lips burned; his leg stung; he paid it all little mind.

A low groan drew his attention and Percy spun around, heart hammering. Kronos laid in a crumpled heap a couple yards from Percy.

"You," Percy furiously hissed, mindful to keep his voice as low as possible.

Kronos spat a mouthful of blood out, red coloring the barren silver of the fallen metal, his teeth set in a snarl.

"Still alive are we?" He rasped and tried to sit up. Only he couldn't because half of the platform, the metal twisted and gleaming in the sunlight, pinned his legs in place.

Somewhere in the distance, one of the girls gave an experimental caw.

_"Percy."_

Annabeth was on the other side of the fence, her face pale and eyes wider than the moon.

"We can't shoot them without the platform," she gasped, eyes wild and voice barely audible. "The guns won't penetrate the fence. _You have to get to the gate Percy_. Go, _now_."

"I know, I know," Percy gasped, one arm wrapping around his ribs as he hobbled over to the fence. "The noise has stopped. They'll regroup, make sure they're all okay . . . then they'll come."

"Then go, _now."_

"Wait, wait, where are they? I can't . . . if they're near the gate—"

Kronos gave another groan.

"Shut up," Percy snapped, "they can hear you, dammit and you sound like—"

"Prey," Annabeth looked wild, a raptor in her own. " _Percy."_

"It's okay," Percy whispered, "it's okay."

Kronos made another pitiful sound. Annabeth's eyes flickered to the trapped man. Percy knew what she was thinking; the same thing had crossed his own mind: the girls would be drawn to the sound. They would investigate, leaving the gate clear. Percy would have the opportunity to slip by, kept safe by their curiosity. His chest felt tight, stomach churning. His hands shook. Then, with a set jaw, he squared his shoulders and made up his mind. He took one long look at Annabeth's face, then spun around.

"Brace yourself," he warned, taking quick strides to Kronos' side.

 _"Percy, no._ What are you doing?" Annabeth sounded aghasted, her voice slicing but Percy's mind was firmly made up. "Run, _please."_

Annabeth's voice tugged at something inside Percy, but he couldn't do what she wanted. Kronos needed to pay, but not like this. Not when Percy still didn't know where Ethan was. Not on his own terms, not when his death would mean giving his girls a taste of human blood, forever subjugating them to fear and suspicion, not if it gave him the satisfaction of winning. Not when there were innocent people out there he had hurt and wanted justice, not without a trial and a public damning of the things he had done. No, Kronos didn't deserve to die here, laughing and unrepentant. Did anybody truly deserve to die like this anyway? Torn to pieces and eaten alive by a pack of cold, powerful raptors?

Percy didn't know, but he knew he couldn't stomach the idea.

Percy would get back to Annabeth, he had promised—was this worth that kiss? He almost laughed, hysteria bubbling in his throat as he determinedly leaned over Kronos' sneering form, barring his teeth as he grabbed the twisted metal curved around Kronos.

"Fool," Kronos snap as Percy _heaved_ , blood trickling out of the fallen man's mouth, a crooked grin on his grotesque face.

"Shut up," Percy gasped, lifting the bar enough to heave it off the fallen man.

"I didn't even need to orchestrate your death, you do it yourself."

"Shut up," Percy repeated, bending down to wind an arm around Kronos.

Kronos resisted, a dead weight in Percy's arms.

"Come on you asshole," Percy gasped, tugging harder as he tried to force the man to his feet.

"Why should I?" Kronos laughed, flecks of blood spraying across Percy's cheek. "When you're delivering yourself so perfectly into death?"

Percy's mind worked fast. "Because I win if I escape," he said. "Because the girls will smell your blood and come and you won't be able to escape them. But while they tear you limb from limb, the front gate will be clear and I'll get away. Alive, unharmed, while you stupidly martyr yourself. You're not stupid, Kronos, or suicidal. You don't want to die, not if it means I live _and you lose."_

Kronos' face was unreadable. Percy's heartbeat counted the seconds, loud and demanding. Then Kronos groaned—a groan of exertion, not of pain, as he forced himself to his feet.

 _Good, good, here we go,_ Percy thought, only half hysterical, adjusting his grip on Kronos as they managed to get the man upright. They hobbled across the clearing, their going slow and awkward. Too slow, Percy thought, his pulse storming through his veins, crashing and swirling and acerbating the twitching under his skin. He could feel Annabeth's eyes burning against his back. They almost reached the trees when Percy knew. He felt it, a sixth sense cultivated first in the depths of the sea and refined under the very sun that bore into his eyes in that moment.

"Why are—"

"Shhh."

Two black eyes stared out from the trees.

"Juno." Percy's voice was deadly calm and level compared to the pounding of his heart.

A shadow stepped into the light and Juno stood before them in all her beautiful, deadly glory. The top of her blue head nearly reached his sternum now. His little girl, all grown up. An alpha of her own. She held her head high and proud. Percy did the same, drawing himself up and looking down at his best girl.

"Juno," he repeated, louder this time, a command. Juno didn't budge.

"Ceres," Percy called, "Minerva. Diane. Come."

He clicked his tongue sharply, mimicking the sound of the old dog clicker. His heartbeat calmed the ever slightest bit, a race as opposed to a storm, as his three other girls stepped forth. At his side, Kronos started chuckling, a deep, terrible sound.

"I don't lose," he croaked.

"Shut up," Percy repeated. His eyes were fixed on Juno, staring unblinkingly into those great, wise eyes that unerringly watched him in turn. Diane gave a sharp caw, her agitation obvious.

"No," Percy said firmly, his voice brooking no argument.

Diane shuffled back and bowed in submission. Juno, however, gave a low gurgle in her throat, head tilting. Those eyes shifted from Percy, leaving his authority unchallenged, for now, to focus on Kronos. Minerva watched with keen interest as blood trickled down Kronos' face. _He looks like prey_ , an Ethan-like voice whispered. _You've brought them prey before. Then . . . they hunt._ A bead of sweat rolled down Percy's temple, tangling in his hair and clinging to his face, sticky and hot. _What will happen if you try to keep prey from them?_

"Back up girls," Percy demanded.

Ceres, bless her heart, didn't hesitate, taking a step back. The other three were not so cooperative. Diane fidgeted, caught between obeying her alpha and her desire for Kronos' blood. Her eyes flickered to Juno. Minerva too, standing deathly still in opposition to her sister, turned questioning eyes to Juno. Juno's jaw ground, eyes trained on Percy. Percy squared his shoulders.

"Did I stutter?" He demanded, the words meaningless to the raptors but the simmering anger beneath turned their heads. "Back. Up."

Each word was a sharp staccato and he followed them with two clipped clicks from his tongue. It was authoritative enough that both Diane and Minerva shuffled back. Juno stayed where she was. Percy's heart threatened to burst from his chest.

 _Let them have the prey_.

Juno ruffled her feathers . . . and Percy knew he had lost.

Diane gave a bloodcurdling shriek, sickle claw sinking into Kronos' shoulder as she leapt through the air. The force sent Percy flying back, his head hitting the ground hard. He spun, lifting his head in time to watch the carnage unfold. Minerva pinned Kronos to the ground. Diane's claws were still sunk in his shoulder. Kronos screamed, the sound terrible and inhuman. Juno stepped forth, a nightmare in slow motion, her sickle claw sinking into his leg, drawing another scream.

Juno lowered her head. Her jaws clamped down on Kronos' leg and she _tore_.

A caw sounded at his ear and Percy gasped, tearing his eyes away. Kronos' screams caught in his ears, echoing like a stamp on his soul. Ceres looked down at him. She cawed again, then bent down to bump her feathered head against him, hard, demanding.

"Percy!"

That was a human voice. Percy didn't know who screamed it. It could have been Annabeth, Thalia, Poseidon, HadesZeusGrover, did it matter—

Ceres butted heavily against him, the hard bone of her thick skulls bashing against his shoulder. Kronos was still screaming. Percy scrambled to his feet, his ears ringing and _—_ "Run, Percy, dammit" _—_ he didn't think. He wrapped one arm around his aching ribs and _ran._ The branches of the forest sliced across his face but Percy didn't care. Roots threatened to tangle his legs, bushes clinging to the fabric of his pants but he didn't notice, he didn't, he just ran.

Kronos' scream garbled . . . then the screaming stopped altogether.

"Shit," Percy gasped, his chest tight and funny and _shitshitshit._

He burst through the forest, emerging in the bright clearing before the gate. Someone was inside the first gate, maybe two somebodies he didn't have time to think about it, he couldn't, he just needed to get there. His legs burned, the pain in his chest threatening to choke him but Percy didn't stop. He was going to make it, he was, he was halfway there, a couple feet now, and there was Annabeth, gray eyes wide in terror, screaming at him _—_

Something hit him from behind and Percy went down. The breath left him in one swift moment, his sternum hitting the ground and literally knocking the breath from his lungs, his desperate gasp cut off because he didn't have the oxygen to support it. His face collided with the ground, hard enough to bruise, hard enough that he swore he could feel bone splinter and break, blood mingling with dirt in his mouth—Juno. He knew; knew in his heart of hearts that his best girl tackled him, that it was Juno's hot breath on his neck and oh god _Juno—_

He closed his eyes.

Pain tore through his back, white hot and he _screamed._

The pressure on his back, the breath on his neck, vanished.

Percy bit off his scream, eyes popping open. Beside him, Ceres had her jaw locked tight around Juno's neck, her claws digging mercilessly into her sister's body.

_"Percy!"_

A hand roughly grabbed him, trying to haul him to his feet. Percy screamed again, pain licking through his body and through his tears he could make out the terrified face of Grover. _Grover._

"Come on, come on," his best friend sobbed, not quite strong enough to pull Percy to his feet.

Percy made his legs work, pushing himself upright so Grover could wrap an arm around his aching ribs and half drag the trainer towards the gate. There was Annabeth, tears on her face, a gun held unwavering in steady hands. The girls shrieked behind them but Percy didn't dare look back, didn't look to see who was winning—Ceres, Ceres, Ceres, brave sweet Ceres—and then Annabeth's hand clawed at him, yanking him inside and the gate gave a high wail as it swung.

Someone was still screaming.

The gate didn't click shut. Percy turned, heart in his throat and there she was, Juno, his beta, his best girl, shrieking in fury, snout half wedge in the gate, keeping the door from properly closing.

The gun sounded.

Juno gave a throaty cry, the sound aimed straight at Percy's heart, pulling at his poor, aching bleeding heart. Juno jerked back, a spurt of blood gushing from her snout—and the gate closed with a resounding _click._

Juno threw her head back and the sound that tore from her throat, the sound that sent shivers down Percy's back, that made Grover gasp in fear and Annabeth's fingers cut into Percy's skin so deep they were sure to scar, didn't have a name. It was more than a caw, greater than a shriek, too terrible and awesome and purely, animalistic, prehistoric, _dominate_ to be named. Percy'd never heard anything quite so terrifying in his life.

Grover trembled at his side, hot fingers bruising Percy's waist. Percy's own fingers closed around Grover's wrist, desperate to hang on, to be grounded, to be—his breath caught in his throat, his chest hiccupping as he desperately tried to get air. Annabeth looked at him, pale and gray and _there_. Percy threw himself at her, clinging to her like a drowning man, burying his nose in her neck, the hand that didn't cling to Grover tangled in her hair and because he couldn't let go, Grover came crashing against them too.

Annabeth fiercely wrapped him up, arms coming up to hold him together.

"I've got you," she promised fiercely, pressing bruising kisses to any part of him she could reach. "We've got you, Percy, we've got you."

The screaming finally stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals didn't kill me. I love you all


	27. Chapter 27

Annabeth stared at the pale reflection in the mirror. Her blouse was ruined, torn at the sleeve from desperate hands, the front spotted red with Percy's blood. Blood that clung to her arms, to her hands. Annabeth mechanically ran her minutely trembling hands under the warm water of the hospital's sink, rubbing the thin bubbles of the cheap foaming soap up her arms. She had to scratch at the blood to get it to chip way, letting the water swirl the reddish almost black flakes down the drain.

Percy was in surgery. Juno's claw had sliced a deep laceration into his back. At least two of his ribs were broken.

The water ran over her fingers, slipping across her skin and escaping down the drain.

Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to stem the flood of memories that threatened to drown her:

_Diane leapt at Kronos, claws first, and Minerva leapt after them. Annabeth was screaming, Thalia was screaming but Percy—they weren't attacking Percy. He was on the ground, on the ground but unharmed, run Percy run!_

_The little raptor, Ceres, was butting against her alpha and Annabeth was crying, she was crying—Percy got up and finally,_ finally _, ran. On the other side of the fence, Annabeth ran with him. Unhindered by the trees that slowed Percy, she reached the gate first. Zeus grabbed Thalia around the middle, the terrible, protective cry that tore from her throat lost to the pounding in Annabeth's ears. Grover had opened the first gate—she slipped inside._

_"Close the door, close the door—"_

_Percy appeared in the clearing, face scratched up and arms pumping as he_ ran. _The first door closed shut as the figure appeared behind him. Grover opened the second gate without hesitation despite the danger, despite the tremors she could feel running across her skin, and Annabeth raised the gun in her hand. Close, too close, she could hit—"Percy!"—and he was on the ground. Then Ceres, like a vengeful angel, was there and Grover raced forward. Annabeth kept her gun on the tussling raptors until Percy was close and then she had to reach out and touch him, had to, had—the second door wouldn't shut._

_Annabeth didn't hesitate, pulling the trigger._

_Then Percy,_ Percy, _was in her arms and it didn't quite matter._

"Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her eyes, body tense. Bloodshot eyes stared back from the tiny bathroom mirror. The water had turned cold. She shut it off, carefully drying her hands on her filthy pants before turning around.

"Is he out of surgery?" She asked, each word careful and deliberate as she came face to face with Katie Gardener.

"I don't know," Katie said, fidgeting.

She was wearing khakis, Annabeth noticed, a long forgotten conversation nonsensically coming to mind. She had the crazy urge to remind Katie that Silena thought they clashed with her coloring.

"Clarisse found Ethan."

"What?" Annabeth stepped closer, the world sharpening. "Where?"

"On the south side of the island, inside the shell of the old park. He was bound."

"Take me to him."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Ethan Nakamura sat in a white hospital room in the tattered and dirty remains of his lab uniform, barely looking like Ethan Nakamura at all. Gone was his white lab coat, his pants were torn at the knees. A dark bruised color his cheek. The eyepatch was gone. He looked up as she entered, face expressionless. He clasped his hands on his lap, watching her.

"Is Percy okay?" he demanded, his voice hoarse but soft.

Annabeth sat in one of the chairs across from him. He fidgeted his hands again and she noticed a white bandage wrapped securely around his wrists. Gauze curled tightly around the crook of his elbow, which crinkled every time he wrung his hands.

"Tell me he's okay," Ethan repeated, his hands twisting on his lap.

"Percy will live. Kronos did not."

Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Ethan fell, inch by inch, folding into the chair, his eyes closed.

"Good, good," he muttered, the lines of his face smoothing out into something almost peaceful.

Rage bubbled inside Annabeth's chest, thinking about the man in surgery somewhere in this very hospital, of the blood swirling through the drains, and snarled, "He trusted you, Percy _trusted_ you dammit."

"I know." Ethan's lips barely moved.

"Damn you," Annabeth repeated, coming to her feet.

"He's okay."

"He's _alive_ ," Annabeth snarled, fingers curling into fists that shook at her side.

Ethan's eye snapped open.

"Juno attacked him."

"What was the damage?" Ethan's mouth tightened, wringing his hands again.

"Broken ribs and an eight-inch laceration on his upper back. A couple puncture wounds on his lower from where she grabbed him."

"But he'll recover?"

"He shouldn't have too!" Annabeth shouted, her voice echoing around the room. Ethan didn't look at her. Tilting his head down, it almost appeared as if the bruise blossomed across his entire face.

"Tell me everything," Annabeth demanded.

"My mother works for Kronos." Ethan's lips barely moved, his eye fixed on his lap. "Has worked for him for as long as I can remember. When Zeus bought the park, Kronos wanted it to fail. Zeus didn't know a damn thing about genetic modification but my mother did. Kronos bought the island next door to InGen's Isla Sorna, Isla Muerta the locals call it, under one of his many subsidiary's names and tried to build his own park. They thought they could create a rival park that would put Jurassic World out of business and bankrupt Zeus. Only, Jurassic World had all of Dr. Henry Wu's research. We didn't. My mother thought she could create dinosaurs that rivaled Jurassic World's but . . ."

"Their structure didn't fit together right," Annabeth guessed, remembering the raptor.

"Their very genealogy unraveled. It was terrible to see. My mother took it personally. I don't think Kronos would have continued trying to make dinosaurs if she hadn't . . . he probably would have turned to financial means or something to ruin the park but my mother insisted. That's when I graduated with my doctorate. She brought me to Kronos' island. The animals _—_ they were the right Annabeth."

Ethan looked a hundred times his age. His eye closed.

"My first month there, she sent me to check in on their early raptor prototype. It _—_ it didn't behave anything like our girls. Its very genes were self-destructing. I was going to take blood samples one night and it broke the lock. It didn't attack like the girls, with precision and intent it just . . . attacked. Like a rabid animal, desperate and angry and—" Ethan's face shuddered. "It clawed my eye right out. Blood was everywhere I . . . I shouldn't have survived. But Luke, Luke Castellan saved my life. Kronos told him to shut the lab, to lock the door so I couldn't escape and let the dinosaur loose. Luke ignored him and went inside instead. He killed the thing and saved my life. That's how he got that scar on the side of his face. It wasn't . . . it wasn't from a shrapnel bomb, although he was in one. Those scars are elsewhere but the one on his face is from that raptor."

"I don't see—" Annabeth began icily but Ethan plowed on, undeterred.

"It shook me up. It pissed me off actually," he gave a hollow laugh, if the dry rattling noise that shook his shoulders could even be called a laugh. "Kronos all but ordered my death. I was only alive because Castellan disobeyed his orders." Ethan looked down at his hands. "My eye was gone. I lost a lot of blood. They didn't fly me out to a hospital because they didn't want to explain the wound, and what if I had an infection from the dinosaur? Kronos couldn't risk explaining that. So they kept me in a med area, but it was medieval at best. Kronos said it was all my fault, that it was my mother's fault because we couldn't build a raptor properly.

"She . . . agreed. She was . . . I don't know if she's too far in his pocket to think anything else or if she is too afraid to think anything else. It doesn't really matter. Two weeks later, when I was still in the med bay, Luke came to me. He said—" Ethan snorted a little "—he said Kronos was ready to forgive my blunder if my mother and I did something for them. Blunder he said, as if I built the cage or hell if I built the damn animal myself. I didn't build anything there. Mother made the sequences and I just strung them together. An expensive lackey is all.

"Luke wanted us to infiltrate Jurassic World. Become one of your scientists and sooner or later you'd have to tell us how _you_ made the dinosaurs. We could then take the secrets back to Isla Muerta for Kronos."

"So why doesn't Kronos have a park full of genealogically secure dinosaurs?" Annabeth demanded.

"Because of the seniority system you have in place," Ethan said tiredly. "Mother worked for you for almost five years and she still doesn't know the base structure of Wu's research. When Olympian re-opened this place, he started off using the DNA sequences that Wu already stabilized. Not to mention you guys just rounded up some of the old dinosaurs from Isla Sorna. Dr. Wu is very particular about who gets to actually see the complete sequence. Old paranoia maybe, or maybe he thinks he'll be out of a job if that becomes public knowledge. Not likely. Wu's done the impossible time and time again; I doubt there's a geneticist on the planet that can do what he can. Not that that's important; what's important is that Wu is the only person to ever see the complete DNA sequence of the animals on this island. Mother hoped that as the park grew and Olympian put more and more demand on Wu to introduce new animals faster, he would start opening up more. He hasn't yet. So Kronos has only been getting tidbits of information, the slices of genealogy that we had been sanctioned to work with."

Annabeth's lips pressed into a thin, angry line. Ethan stared at the ground.

"So you've been working for Kronos this whole time," Annabeth said, and now _her_ lips were hardly moving from the tremors of rage that built inside her. "This whole time, when Percy thought you were his _friend,_ you were working with the man trying to kill him."

Ethan visibly flinched. He looked up and his face twisted; his lips curled at the corner, his teeth on edge as his eye narrowed.

"I _am_ Percy's friend," Ethan snarled. "I don't expect you to understand. Kronos wanted to let me _die_. Luke got me out of there, he got me somewhere safe so I didn't have to suffer for Kronos' mistakes and his foolish pride. Do you have any idea what Kronos was like? What he could do? What he _has_ done? I just wanted to live, and if feeding him little bits of DNA sequences meant I didn't have to lose another eye then _dammit,_ yes I gave them to him." Ethan's face clouded over, returning to its usual stone-like blankness. He stared into the corner. "I didn't know he planned to kill Percy. I don't . . . Luke didn't even want to kill Percy. He just thought we were going to ruin the park, bankrupt Olympian. That was Luke's goal and I . . . after a while I let myself believe him. Because it was easier to believe than the truth. Luke said Kronos wasn't going to kill anybody and I let myself believe it _—_ for my own sanity. Because if Kronos wasn't going to kill anyone, then _I_ would live, and the things I was doing to continue living weren't going to kill anyone else."

Ethan fell silent.

"Then Percy had to come along." Ethan's lips twisted. Annabeth thought he meant to make the words sound disgusted, but his tone was exasperatedly fond. "God, he's an asshole. Screwing up my lab, being all obnoxious and stupid. I forgot, for a little while, why I was afraid." His lips twisted bitterly. "Then Luke came. And I thought it was fine, I would just stay out of the way, Luke'd get the information he wanted and I could keep . . ."

"Keep being Percy's friend," Annabeth guessed, crossing her arms and resolving not to sympathize.

A shadow fell across Ethan's face. He looked exhausted, an old weary man trapped in this youthful, gray cage. "I thought I could keep everyone safe. They wanted Percy back in the cage with the girls. I couldn't . . . I'd seen what these girls could do. I of all people knew what dinosaurs could do."

Annabeth's eyes traveled up Ethan's tired face to the dark, empty socket she'd valiantly avoided since walking in.

"I couldn't _—_ I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I couldn't _—_ couldn't let that happen to Percy." Ethan made a face, staring down at his hands. "I started giving them false information, less information." A pause. "They didn't like that."

"You chose Percy."

"I chose Percy," Ethan agreed, his voice a mere murmur. He blinked down at his lap, eye moist, and Annabeth looked away, stomach tightening at how vulnerable and small he suddenly seemed. She always thought of Ethan Nakamura as something made of stone, unmoving and solid.

"Prometheus," Ethan volunteered after a moment.

"Come again?" Annabeth asked, staring avidly at her knee for fear of what she might see should she look up again.

"Dr. Prometheus, from my lab. He works for Kronos. Him, me and my mother. We were the only three."

"Thank you," Annabeth said slowly, taking a moment to process that.

"T-Core produced thousands of embryos, stillborn, deformed monsters and malformed adults on that island," Ethan continued, the words coming out in a rush. "The animals never lived long, they died outright or Kronos had them killed because they weren't what he wanted. We couldn't bury them all on the island, the smell would have been incredible. He liked to burn them _—_ or throw them out to sea. We normally sliced them into something unrecognizable if they went out to sea. Sometimes, people'd get lazy. I think that's what washed up on your shore."

Annabeth remembered.

"As for the malformed raptor . . . it's very unlikely that it made its way all the way from Isla Muerta to Isla Nublar. Kronos didn't know about it. I think Luke may have introduced it to the island. Cause panic, get people talking. Kronos was getting anxious. Somebody was too close to exposing him, I think. He pushed harder and harder for results these last few months. They were desperate. Luke probably set the animal loose in hopes that it would damage Jurassic World's credibility."

"Then why didn't he let it go near people?"

Ethan gave a little shrug. "He could have and it ran towards the sound of Percy's girls instead. Pack mentality is strong in these animals. Or he came in on a boat the backway and knew he couldn't make it passed the checkpoint with the animal. I don't know, and I doubt you'll get him to admit it. After the T-Rex fiasco in San Diego, there are laws regarding dinosaur handling."

Annabeth knew all too well. She didn't say anything but continued to stare at the young scientist. The dying sunlight from the window cast a glow across his face; the bright colors juxtaposed sharply against the grayness that seeped into Ethan Nakamura's very being.

"Is Kronos really dead?" He asked, his voice so soft she almost didn't catch it.

"Yes. Juno tore him to pieces." She could still hear the man's terrible screams in her ear. She set her jaw, hands curling into fists at her side. She took a quick, shaking breath through her nose.

"I suppose there is justice in the world." Ethan lifted his head, looking out the window. The sun was finally beginning to set, the sky a terrible bloody red as the golden orb sank below the horizon of the calm ocean; a fitting end to this eternal day.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I don't know," Annabeth said truthfully. "The incident will get out. Zeus will probably take T-Core to trial for corporate espionage, deliberate endangerment, attempted murder . . . and they'll probably sue us for the death of Kronos Olympian."

Annabeth ran a hand through her untidy hair, closing her eyes. Kronos' death was the first dinosaur inflicted death Jurassic World had seen. Kronos' fault or not, faulty bridge or not, this would hit the park hard. She just hoped the Olympians were strong enough, smart enough, to navigate through this storm. _We have to be,_ she thought fiercely, thinking of Percy and Thalia and tiny raptors pushing their heads out of tiny be speckled eggs. Kronos could _not_ win.

"Luke's not a bad guy," Ethan murmured, bringing her back to the moment. "Don't get me wrong, he's not a particularly good guy either but . . . he saved my life. He didn't want to kill anybody. He was just confused and angry. That doesn't excuse anything, I am aware. But . . . Kronos groomed him, since he was just a scared, lonely teenager, spilled poison into his ears and twisted his heart."

"He brought Kronos to my park," Annabeth said, her nose flaring protectively.

In her mind, all she could see was Percy, his eyes wide, mouth open as Juno sank her claws into his back. She shuddered, unable to hold back the tremor. _He's alive, he's alive, he's alive,_ she reminded herself, nails digging her palm hard enough to draw blood.

"I know."

"You warned Percy about him."

"He's dangerous," Ethan agreed listlessly. "But he's not a killer."

Annabeth thought. "Are you willing to repeat all of this under oath in a court of law?"

"Yes," Ethan agreed without blinking or taking time to think about it.

"See to it," she commanded, coming to her feet. "And I'll convince them that you were just as much a victim as we were, and that you took admirable steps to prevent today's events."

Ethan's head snapped up.

"It's not a get out of jail free card," she warned. "I will demand that you be monitored and keep under constant supervision for an indeterminable amount of time until your motives and intentions are made clear."

Ethan nodded almost eagerly. "Reasonable, justified—"

"I will also advise that Percy be made your handler."

That shut Ethan up. He looked vaguely ill. Before he could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Annabeth called, watching Ethan carefully.

Connor stuck his blond head inside. His eyes briefly flickered over the battered scientist before settling on Annabeth. "Zeus needs to speak with you. Also, Percy just got out of surgery. Doc says he's gonna be fine. Thalia's with him."

"Okay Connor, thank you."

Connor gave a swift nod before disappearing. Annabeth scrapped her nail along the edge of her arm. Percy's blood had long since washed away but she could still feel the phantom cling of it on her skin, sticky and hot. She doubted it would go away until she had Percy in her arms again, whole and hardy. She had things to do first though so, one hand on the door, she turned to Ethan.

"I need to go," she told him. "Don't leave the hospital. I'll have someone collect you."

Ethan nodded. Annabeth surveyed the downtrodden man. She wasn't sure how she felt about him right now, her emotions were high and whenever she closed her eyes she saw Percy's blood and Juno's open jaws. But she knew how Percy felt.

"He wouldn't let Thalia run in guns a-blazing," she said, "because he needed to make sure you were safe. Even with Kronos' fingers literally around his throat, he demanded to know where you were."

Ethan closed his eyes.

"Go see him."

"I can't _—_ "

"That wasn't a request Nakamura. You _owe_ him that much." Her words were both harsh and kind.

"I know," Ethan admitted softly. He sighed heavily, looking all the world like a man condemned as he came to his feet. "I'll go."

"You better." She stepped half out the door before turning around. "Oh, and Nakamura?"

"Hm?"

"If you hurt him again, I'll give you a fate worse than Kronos'. You'll be begging to be thrown to the girls before I'm through with you. Got it?"

Ethan's lips twitched, his eyes softening. "I'll hold you to that ma'am," he said with an inclination of his head.

"Good. Give Percy a kiss for me."

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was almost midnight when Annabeth found her way back to the hospital. She could hear a gentle murmuring as she approached Percy room and, peeking inside, found him in soft conversation with his father, a small group gathered around his bed.

Thalia was perched at the head of the bed, her feet kicked up on the railing in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable position. Her arms were crossed, head lobbing down on her chest as she slept restlessly. The ink-like makeup that usually adorned her eyes leaked down her face in ghastly streams that plucked at Annabeth's heart. At her side, wide awake unlike Percy's other guests, sat Poseidon. His hand was curled around Percy's wrist, eyes glued to his son's tired face. At the foot of the bed, Grover snored loudly, taking up two chairs as he slumbered. Across the way sat Ethan, slumped down in his chair in a very un-Ethan-like manner as he too slept. He looked less woebegone than the last time she'd seen him—although, her eyebrows rose, there was a dark splatter of blood around his nose, which sat rather crooked on his face. She turned her upturned eyebrows to the man in the hospital bed. Percy gave a little shrug, complete with half a smile like _he had it coming._

_He forgives him_ , Annabeth thought wryly. Because of course this ridiculous man did. She hovered in the doorway, ready to give the father-son pair some privacy. Percy, however, was apparently having none of that. He stretched his arm out towards her, eyes pleading. How could anyone refuse that? Annabeth quickly crossed the room, navigating through the sleeping throng to grasp his hand tight.

" _Percy,_ " she greeted, her voice tight. Her eyes burned as she smiled and he tugged her closer.

She let him, bringing their clasped hands up to her hammering heart as she tangled her free one in his hair. She pressed her lips firmly against his forehead, eyes tightly closed, just reveling in the closeness of him. He looked terrible, skin gray and eyes dim. That seemed the greatest travesty of all; the eyes that were usually so bright, dancing with mischief and mirth, now lackluster and heavy. She wanted to wrap herself around him, to shield and protect, holding him so close to her chest that he could never get hurt again.

"I'm okay," Percy said, his breath ghosting across her throat.

"You're an idiot," she returned, breathing in the scent of him and clinging tight. "What's the damage?"

"Three broken ribs, two cracked. Thirteen stitches for the laceration and a dozen or so for the holes in his back. Doctors don't think any foreign contaminants from the raptor got inside the cuts, but they gave him some medicine just in case."

Annabeth nodded at Poseidon's helpful assessment, pressing her forehead harder against the top of Percy's head.

"I'm okay," Percy softly repeated.

"You're an idiot," Annabeth repeated, pulling away to look at him. He reluctantly let her go, keeping a tight grip on her hand.

"Sit next to Ethan," he softly advised, eyes pleading. As if she was going anywhere, Annabeth thought, and, careful not to wake any of the gathered crowd, pulled a chair closer.

She settled down and immediately he held his hand out again, lacing their fingers together and holding tight. She rubbed her thumb unconsciously over the back of Percy's calloused hand, eyes on his tired face. Her lips burned with the phantom heat of his skin; she fought the urge to climb into his hospital bed, to hold him firmly against her, feeling the flutter of his breath and pounding of his heart.

"You were saying?" Percy prompted, eyes barely flickering over to Poseidon.

"Hermes worked for Kronos," Poseidon said and, to his credit, his words came without hesitation despite Annabeth's interruption. "Small-time thief, but his wife had recently given birth and he wanted out. But, like I found out, Hermes realized that leaving wasn't really an option."

"So he turned to you?" Percy asked tiredly.

Poseidon hesitated.

"No, you went to him," Percy guessed, sounding even more exhausted.

"We did," Poseidon agreed, choosing his words carefully under Percy's judgmental glare. "But it's not like he had many other options. He continued to operate under Kronos while feeding us very vital information."

"And what about Luke?"

"We didn't ask about Luke." Poseidon looked down at his hands. "We arranged it so Hermes started working for Lightning Inc., supposedly spying on Zeus for Kronos. With the cover of Zeus, Hermes could get the medication his wife needed and send his son to a safe school. We didn't ask about them after that."

"He was already in, so why not drag him in further?"

"Kronos certainly wasn't going to let him go. It ended up keeping him farther away than we anticipated."

"Away from Luke."

". . . Yes."

Percy didn't pass any judgment on his father this time. Annabeth thought that maybe he was too tired for that. Instead, he sank lower in the hospital bed. Annabeth instinctively sank down with him, slouching in her chair. His head listed to the side and she reached out with her unheld hand to card it through his hair. He leaned into the touch, eyes flickering shut.

"You're tired, you should rest," Poseidon said, his rumbling voice a soft lull.

Percy's eyes threatened to flicker open.

"No, sleep now, worry in the morning," Annabeth instructed.

"Girls?" Percy's eyes stubbornly opened despite her instruction.

"I don't know," Annabeth replied truthfully to his unasked question. Her hand found the scar above his eyes, tracing the faded curve of it. "It was Kronos' fault for breaking the bridge."

Percy's eyes were painfully sad.

"What do other zoos do when animals kill someone?"

"It depends."

"They're raptors." Percy's voice was thick. "People are scared of raptors. The public is always waiting for us to turn into Jurassic Park Two."

You _should be scared of raptors,_ Annabeth thought, an almost painful exasperated fondness growing in her chest. She certainly was afraid of them—the sight of Juno leaping onto Percy's back, Percy's terrible scream of pain—she shuddered. Those would never leave her. She leaned forward to kiss him.

"I know. Don't worry about it now, just sleep."

"Zeus will back you."

Annabeth almost forgot about Poseidon. Her eyes flickered up at his voice. He watched them with an unreadable expression, face smooth and solemn.

"Go to sleep Percy," he urged gently as he stood.

Poseidon looked out of place in the cramped hospital room, something dangerous and half-wild. A twinge of sadness lurked around his eyes though, and it was this that stopped Annabeth's hackles from rising as he leaned over Percy. He brushed his knuckles against Percy's forehead and even though Percy didn't lean into his father's touch like he did hers, Annabeth knew he was comforted.

"I'm going to find coffee, you sleep," Poseidon whispered, recalling his hand.

The room fell quiet in the wake of his silent departure. Percy's eyes were half open and Annabeth smiled wanly, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"You went into the cage," he murmured sleepily.

"So did Grover."

"Yeah, what a guy," Percy said fondly, eyes soft. "He's always done crazy stuff for me, like jumping into shark-infested water to drag my bleeding ass out. I love him. But you aren't pack. You don't know the girls like we do and you went in any way."

"Yeah well, I had to rescue my idiot boyfriend."

A goofy grin, lopsided and crooked, curved up his face. "Boyfriend?" He repeated.

"Yes, boyfriend," she laughed softly. "Idiot. Seaweed Brain."

"But I'm _your_ idiot, Seaweed Brained boyfriend." He had the most ridiculous, self-pleased, off-centered grin. His eyes sparkled mischievously. "So, I didn't get shot—that means I get a kiss right?"

"I don't know, you did fall off a bridge and get attacked by a pack of velociraptors. I say that's worse than getting shot."

His lips turned down into an adorable pout.

"But I survived," he all but whined. "With less than seventy-two stitches."

"Well if it was less than _seventy-two_."

His grin took up her entire vision as she leaned forward to kiss him softly, gently. He tasted like salt and blood but that was okay because he was _alive._

"Oh gross." The voice was so soft Annabeth almost didn't hear it but Percy pulled back right away.

"Nico?" Percy asked, blinking stupidly. "That sounds like Nico."

_Nico?_ Annabeth thought, turning. The name clicked into place as the figure lurking in the doorway came into focus. Nico di Angelo scowled at her, well maybe at Percy, fiddling with a ring on his finger, dark bags under his eyes. He was shorter than she imagined, his hunched shoulders draped protectively in leather like his eldest cousin.

"Nico!" Percy repeated, louder this time, unmindful of his sleeping companions. He held his arms out, one hand still twined with Annabeth's, as if he honestly expected the boy to run and embrace him.

"You're an idiot," Nico hissed, face twisted violently as he slinked into the room. He gave Annabeth a suspicious, mistrusting look which Percy ignored, making impatient noises and grabby hands at the younger man.

"Nico, I almost _died_ , you have to be nice to me, come here little skeleton. Don't be mad."

"I'm furious," Nico warned but he came around to Thalia's side of the bed, still eyeing Annabeth suspiciously. His hand seemed to inch towards the cousins, like he wanted to touch them and make sure they were real, safe.

"This is my girlfriend Annabeth," Percy introduced, waving their entwined hands.

It was the strangest introduction she'd ever had, Annabeth thought as she inclined her head respectfully at Percy's little cousin. Yet, the strangeness felt almost normal. The Olympians were rubbing off on her. Maybe it was just Percy.

"He'll live," she told the boy kindly. "But he's still an idiot."

She swore Nico almost smiled. "He's always an idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, yell at me later hug me now."

Nico's eyes narrowed.

"I know I scared you, I'm sorry." Percy's face morphed into one of his goofy, loving smiles. "But I did _not_ get seventy-two stitches this time."

"You're an idiot," Nico repeated, taking a step closer. It was close enough that Percy could drag the boy into an awkward one armed hug. Nico only resisted for a nanosecond before letting himself be dragged in close.

"I'm pissed," Nico repeated even as he burrowed his face in the crook of Percy's neck, hands clutching at the thin hospital gown.

"Yeah, yeah skeleton."

Annabeth couldn't help but smile. At Nico's side, Thalia's eyes had cracked open. She watched the boys with half a smile curved on her face, looking younger than Annabeth'd ever seen. Annabeth rubbed her thumb over Percy's hand as Nico muttered all the terrible things he was going to do to Percy once he was out of the hospital, his voice oddly low and soothing. There was something so striking and right about the moment, comforting and safe.

Annabeth met Thalia's eyes and smiled.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They released Percy from the hospital five days later.

"They won't take the girls," Thalia promised almost disinterestedly, a pair of opaque sunglasses sliding down her nose as she examined her freshly manicured black nails. "I'll make sure of it."

"That honestly makes me feel a million times better," Percy said. He slung his arm heavily around Annabeth's shoulder, his chin resting on top of her head as he leaned most of his weight on her.

The sun reflected blindingly off the calm, cerulean ocean, a peaceful backdrop to the commotion on the port. A simple passenger boat was docked at the private port, the same one Percy floated in on all those months ago. Annabeth watched as the dark, imposing figure of Hades Olympian stood stiffly, arms held behind him, as he bid his son good-bye. Nico's arms were squished inside his black jeans, his face angled away from the trio. Hades seemed to hesitate before his hands unclasped and one of them slowly came up to grasp Nico by the shoulder.

"Damn, look at him getting all sentimental," Thalia gagged but even her sunglasses can't hide her obvious approval. "If Zeus tries that, I'll rip his hand off."

"No arm ripping," Annabeth instructed, hardly believing those words had to leave her mouth.

"Speak of the devil," Thalia scoffed, scuffing her combat boots against the dock.

As one, they turned to see the last two Olympian brothers striding towards them. Poseidon's face was smooth, genial in expression; Zeus scowled. Annabeth couldn't help smiling at the picture, at the normalcy it conveyed. There was so much that needed to be done, to be dealt with. Kronos succeeded in stirring trouble up for Jurassic World. But those problems felt marginal as the Olympians approached. Zeus barely granted them the courtesy of a glance, swooping right up to Thalia's side.

"Don't get sentimental on me," Thalia warned, pushing her sunglasses further up her wrinkled nose.

"Don't be ridiculous." Zeus looked stiff and uncomfortable. He eyed Poseidon, fingers twitching.

"Come on." Thalia rolled her eyes, grabbing her father by the arm. "We'll talk down the dock since you can't get over your emotional constipation."

"Bye Uncle Zeus!" Percy called cheerfully as Thalia dragged her grumpy father away from the group. He turned his head, thoroughly messing up Annabeth's hair as his chin dragged the fine golden strands askew, to where Poseidon came to a halt.

"Are we going to have an awkward conversation too?"

Poseidon's lips twitched, "How's your back?"

"Not infected, probably." Annabeth sighed, casting her eyes skyward at the qualifier. "I have to put some cream stuff on the stitches and since it's on my back, Nico and Grover have been helping me out. Nico and I had a very uncomfortable conversation about relationships and love last night. He still couldn't look me in the eye this morning. So, that's a thing."

Poseidon gave a low chuckle, his expression fond. Annabeth wondered if she should be uncomfortable with how much she empathized.

"Good," Poseidon said, his eyes fixed on Percy's cockeyed face. "I am going with your uncles back to New York in order to start cleaning up this mess."

"Gotcha."

"I will be back for Christmas."

Percy hummed. Poseidon's eyes reflected the afternoon sun, calling broken metal and bloodied screams to the forefront of Annabeth's mind. She met the elder Olympian's gaze and knew he was telling the truth. He would be back for Christmas. Poseidon made a move as though to put his hand on Percy's shoulder but hesitated, floundering in the air. The uncertainty swam along their skin, from father to son. Old wounds were dug up, old scabs torn away—but maybe it was for the best. Old wounds and old scars once left to fester instead of heal, now given the chance to finally fade away.

"You gonna just—?" Percy flapping his hand at Poseidon's awkwardly hovering one. "I mean."

"Well, it's a little strange since you're leaning on your girlfriend—"

"Yeah _, that's_ what makes it strange—"

"You could stand like a normal human being—"

"Excuse you, _injured—"_

"I thought you were fine—"

"Don't you have a boat to catch, old man?" Percy demanded, huffing against the top of Annabeth's head. Annabeth didn't even try to fight the smile that curved across her face. She rubbed her thumb over the small of her boyfriend's back.

"Yes." Poseidon's eyes crinkled around the corners.

Percy shifted at Annabeth's side, squirming under the attention. Poseidon finally reached all the way forward, letting his calloused hand rest on top of Percy's head.

"Okay, yeah I get it now, it's a little weird," Percy said but didn't bother moving.

"I'll be back for Christmas," Poseidon promised. It was a little weird and awkward—Poseidon still had his hand on Percy's head, smiling so his weather-worn face crinkled around the edges—but it was also kind of nice.

"Alright."

Poseidon slowly withdrew his hand, the smile on his tan face mellowing into something melancholy. "Be safe. Don't do anything stupid."

"My stupid or—?"

"He won't," Annabeth cut in, pinching Percy hard.

Poseidon's eyes flickered between the two—although that really wasn't saying much since their faces were more or less squished together. All the same, his eyes made a deliberate movement from Percy's face to pan down across Annabeth's. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, or even if he found it as he pulled away. He clasped Percy on the shoulder one more time before turning around, making his way down the dock. He stopped to exchange not-so-pleasantries with Zeus and Thalia, if the expression on his brother's face was any indicator, before moving on to board the ship at the end of the dock.

"He'll be back for Christmas," Annabeth repeated with conviction as the dark silhouette of Poseidon Olympian raised a hand.

Percy made an odd flapping gesture at his father, the idiot.

"Yeah, whatever. Maybe. He does love interfering with my life."

Halfway down the dock, Zeus pulled Thalia into a quick, one-armed hug. It was intimate and awkward and Annabeth looked away, pushing her leeching boyfriend away to stand on his own. Percy made vague noises of protest, like a damn baby raptor, but accepted his forced independence.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" Percy asked, rocking back and forth on his heels as he watched his family on the dock.

Annabeth kept her eyes fixed on the park behind them.

"A lot of things," she said with a sigh, thinking about all the paperwork on her desk: Ethan's re-evaluation, the girl's re-evaluations, and the million regulations that would be called into question by Kronos' death.

"Or—"

"Whatever you're thinking is a bad idea."

" _Or_ you could humor your boyfriend, who just got out of the hospital."

Annabeth fought against the smile that threatened to creep up her face. She leaned back into the solid warmth of her boyfriend, and the smile broke past her defenses as Percy's arms wrapped around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Well, my boyfriend did almost die you know," Annabeth mused, letting her hands settle where his lay wrapped around her.

"So . . . is that worth a date?"

"I don't know about _worth_ ," she snorted. "In fact, I think if my boyfriend did something like that again, I might kill him myself."

She could feel Percy grimace and she smiled.

"But, I would like to keep an eye on him. He has done some very stupid things lately and only just got out of the hospital. I should probably keep an eye on him for today."

"Great! I mean, yes, that sounds like a good plan. You always have the best plans. Hey, I even have a great date idea."

"Oh do you?"

"Yep. There's a feeding in half an hour at the mosasur-whatever—the great sea monster thing—" Annabeth snorted at his eloquence "— _and_ I hear they are _not_ feeding it endangered animals anymore."

Annabeth huffed at that, turning her head to smile at her ridiculous boyfriend. Percy's eyes were shining, bright and sparkling, dangerous and tempting. She kissed him.

"It's a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done?? It's over?? I can't believe it?? What am I going to do now??
> 
> Anyway, I have conflicting feelings about Luke and I want about ten Ethan Nakamuras for myself. Hope the ending was worth the wait and was fluffy enough for you. Thank you to everyone who stuck around <3<3<3 You guys rock my world, honestly. I hope you enjoyed ~ *


End file.
